


Lost Fantasy

by FFegni



Series: History of a 1000 years [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII, Lost Odyssey
Genre: F/M, FFVIII characters will appear in chapter 2 and after, GF's, GF's are the bad guys?, Gen, Guardian Forces, Immortality, canon pairings - Freeform, time compression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-04-25 17:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4969963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FFegni/pseuds/FFegni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The GF's, Immortals and an enemy off a thousand year old. This is what our heroes have to face in Time Compression. They thought they were going back after they defeated Ultimecia, but Fate has something else for them in store.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

_Time shall compress... ..._  

 _All existence denied._

_Reflect on your..._

_Childhood..._

_Your sensation..._

_Your words..._

_Your emotions..._

_Time..._

_It will not wait..._

_No matter..._

_...how hard you hold on._

_It escapes you..._

_And..._  

* * *

Being captain of your own ship comes with a lot of responsibilities, still Sed thinks it is the best job in the world. Especially on a day like this, the sea is calm, making the ship rock silently on the waves and the sun shines brightly above them.

 

Sweat is glistering on Sed’s skin, a fishing pole held loosely in his hand. The Nautilus had lowered his anchor in the sea north of Numara were the best fish swim this time of the year. Still Sed has had no luck so far, the fish just wouldn’t bite. His shipmate’s have already given up and have sought refugee inside the ship, away from the hot glaring sun.

 

But Sed won’t stop. He is determined to catch at least one fish. Staring at his red and white floater he did not notice a beautiful young woman approaching him. The woman was naked but her long blond tresses cover her completely.

 

She was approaching him, slowly, humming a soft tune. The tune was like the water, very calming and hypnotizing. Before Sed realized what he was doing he was helping this strange but beautiful woman aboard his ship. Holding her hand Sed had lost all control over his own mind, he no longer had a will of his own. He would do _anything_ for this woman.

 

The woman continues humming, trying to lure her next victim in her trap. Sed is staring in the woman’s golden eyes with the intention to follow her everywhere.

 

“Come with me,” the woman purrs with her mystic voice. “Come with me to the land of no return.” Grabbing her hand tighter the two of them stand on the side of the ship, ready to jump, jump to his death. What saved his life were the shouts of his crew, “Capt’n Look!”

 

The spell was lifted, Sed was in control of his mind again and released the young woman’s hand.

A splash is the last thing Sed hears and sees of this young woman, who had returned to the ocean, leaving Sed behind.

 

Sed is glad because he didn’t know who this woman was and why she had this kind of effect of him, and only to him it appears. His crew didn’t even notice the woman, _don’t they have eyes? She was beautiful, but also deadly._ He shudders at the thought of what she made him do, _I could have drowned._

He no longer had time to wonder about what happened when he walked to where his crew is standing, all of them have their eyes glued on the horizon. Sed squints his eyes, he places his hand on his forehead and looks to the horizon. What he sees is so shockingly he almost forgets about the mysterious woman. Almost.

 

In the far distance they could see something moving. Something big. A giant wave was heading their way. _A tsunami?_ In front of this giant wave a monster is swimming. _A snake?_ Sed had never seen anything like that. _What is going on. This is no coincidence, first that woman and now this snake?_

“It’s a Sea Serpent,” one of the crewman shouts.

 

“What?” Sed is perplex one of his crew even knows the name of such a creature, he certainly had never heard of such thing.

 

“It’s heading towards Numara!” Another one shouts. Were first the wave was heading their way, the Sea Serpent has turned south, the tidal wave following him.

 

 _What the hell? It’s following that snake?_ Shouting to his crew Sed yells“Lift the anchor, we’ll go to Numara!” Sed rushes inside to his control panel, preparing the ship for takeoff. _I hope we are not too late._

In no time the anchor was lifted and the Nautilus had another destination: Numara.

 

Strange woman. Sea serpents. Tidal waves. The proud captain of the Nautilus really has a bad day.

_And I didn’t even catch a stupid fish._

 

* * *

_What happened?_

_Where am I?_

_Am I…alone?_

_“Hello! Is anyone here?”_

_Why is it so dark?_

_Is that …Light?_

_“Hello?”_

_“Hello.”_

 

* * *

 

****

Ten years since it destruction, Gotzha still is a frozen city. A frozen and dead city.

 

It was not always empty the last decade, the survivors who lived in Low Town still lived there for some time. It was a hard life for them, but they couldn’t leave their town, their birthplace. Years later, when the population grew in numbers again, they tried to make a living in the higher towns. However before they could life there they had to _clean_ the place up.

 

The people who died that terrible day ten years ago still stand there, _frozen._ They do not life, but they are not dead yet either, not completely. They are dead in their mind, but not their body’s. The body’s were preserved by the ice, and still stand there after all those years.

 

The survivors had a cruel task to perform to _free_ them, free them by destroying them. It was a hard task, mentally and physically. Feeling they killed their brothers and sisters was hard on them.

Afterwards they dared not live there. Whispers of the dead were heard. The voices were angry.

 

They envied the living.

 

They _haunt_ the living.

 

The survivors retreated back to the Low Town. Even knowing the dead could not return, not even as ghosts and knowing it was probably the wind playing games with them, they dared not go back up.

 

Even with the help of Uhra, Numara and other places they still couldn’t get rid of the _voices_.

 

The decision was made, they would leave Gothza, all of them, and nobody was left behind. They could not longer stand the sight of Gotzha. Most of the people went back to the Refugee camp. It really was not a camp anymore, but a small city build in the tunnels. This was not paradise, but it really was not that bad. _It could have been worse_ Juran thinks. From time to time he can’t stop thinking about the terrible thing that happened to them.

 

Juran is the leader of the refugee camp, which they now call New Gotzha. He is a large, bulky man in his early fifty’s. He once was a general in Gotzha’s army, known as the Just. Which is precisely why the people choose him to lead them, he had a good judgment.

 

After a long days work Juran is glad to be in his own place again. He just wanted to relax a little when shouts from outside prevent him from doing so. Rushing outside to see why someone is shouting he is shocked to see a monster emerging from the pool. Seeing the soldiers closing in on _it_ he grabs his sword and makes haste to help them. Before any of them had a chance to swing their swords at the monster the stale of their blades had melted. _Melted?_ Juran had not noticed it before but the temperature really had increased massively since the arrival of the monster. Flames are flicking from his claws and soon the first tents are on fire.

 

Without weapons they can do nothing against this creature, they have no one who can practice magic. The only thing they can do is run. Run hard, run fast. Before they will burn to death, or suffocate from smoke inhalation.

 

After he has ordered his soldier to help everyone escape, he turns back to watch the monster. He wants to know what it will do. Will it follow them or will it take pleasure in destroying this place, and leave them alone. Spotting the monster he sees he holds a woman in his claws. The woman hangs limp in his claws, dead. Her body is bending in places which should not be possible. The monster drops the body and goes after the next human. _He will kill us all._ Running back he picks up a child who had fallen and runs as fast and as far as he can get away from this monster. Looking back one more time he sees a path of destruction follows in the monsters wake.  

 

If he waited any longer he too would have been dead. _I am sorry,_ he thinks while he keeps on running.

 

In the distance Juran could see Gotzha burning. _That fiery demon must have been there too, thankfully no one lives there anymore._

Juran looks at the child and sees two brown eyes looking at him, eyes wet with tears. The little boy clings to Juran and the boy begins to sob again. Holding the child tighter against his chest he continues walking in a fast pace. They make their way to the rail road and follow it eastward. The blazing wind and cold slows down their trek, but still they continue on, knowing it is their only chance. Juran worries about a lot of things, they cannot survive this cold with no supplies. There is nowhere to go with Gotzha also in flames. There is nothing they can do except walking.

 

“A train!” Someone suddenly yells waking the little boy who had just fallen asleep mere moments before and begins sobbing again in Juran's arm.

 

“We are saved,” another man said.

 

“Thanks the heavens!” A woman cries falling on her knees from exhaustion.

 

The people begin jumping and waving and screaming at the train which is approaching. Thinking they are saved from this hell. _I don’t have a good feeling about this._ Juran’s gut feeling had saved him on more occasion than one. But he couldn’t act on it because there really was nothing he could do.

 

He locks eyes with the little boy who had finally stopped sobbing and Juran tells the little boy with his eyes, _I am sorry._ The only reaction the boy gives is clutching his shirt making Juran hold him tighter also, _he too knows this is the end._

They people however still had no idea how wrong they were. They see the train approaching but they don’t see that it doesn’t look like any Gotzha train. They don’t see that the train doesn’t slow down. All they see is hope. All they get is dead.

 

They survived the first demon, only to be slaughter by the next.

 

_Welcome on the train ride to Hell._

 

* * *

 

_“Who are you?”_

_“We’ve got to go.”_

_“I’m not going anywhere before you tell me who you are.”_

_“There is no time.”_

_“There is no time? We are stuck in freaking Time Compression, we’ve got al the time in the word!”_

_“Wrong.”_

_“There is nothing here.”_

_“Follow me.”_

_“Great, just great, as if I have another choice. Seeing you have the only light source around here.”_

_“Move.”_

 

* * *

  
In his shiny gold armor, King Tolten was hard to miss. Especially on a beautiful day like this. The sun was shining brightly from the sky above, reflecting on his armor and blinding people in the crowd.

 

 _I really shouldn’t wear this armor on a sunny day, for more reasons than one’,_ Tolten thinks walking back to the Royal Palace. “It’s unusually hot today,” Tolten said to his advisor.

 

“Indeed it is, my King.”

 

“I will be glad when I am out of this armor,” his advisor nods his head in agreement, his official garb are also hot and uncomfortable on a day like this. The two of them walk in a comfortable silence the rest of the way.

 

Arriving at the palace the first thing Tolten always does is going up to the Ceremonial Amphitheater of the Sky. His father’s statue is standing there, looking over all of Uhra. Every day he goes there to pay his respect to his father. Standing for the statue he prays. Thanking whomever is above for taking care of his people, his family and the entire world. The world had lived in peace now for a decade. _Had it been really that long?_ Tolten often wonders while standing here.

 

Walking to the edge of the theater he can see _his_ people, smiling and waving at him. This too is a daily occurrence. Every day he just stands here and watches over his people. Once or twice he waves back with a permanent smile on his face.

 

Like every day after standing there for half an hour he leaves his spot and return inside. But unlike everyday something strange happens before he makes it back inside, something he had seen only once before, in Gotzha. _That can’t be._

A cold harsh wind begins to blow. He can see his breath forming little clouds whenever he breaths out. It never had been that cold in Uhra for their breath to condense. If that didn’t make Tolten worry the snowfall certainly would.

 

There was no cloud in the sky, still Tolten could see snowflakes dropping. _It had never snowed before here. Most of my people have never seen it._

 

Walking back to the railing Tolten sees his people panicking. The weather changing rapidly from hot and sun to cold and snow. It happens so fast that the people don’t know what to do. Most of them gather their belongings and return to their houses. Some of them look up to see Tolten standing there, questions in their eyes. Question to which Tolten holds no answers.

 

The people have heard about the destruction of Gotzha and how it happened, Tolten made sure they know about what happened in that awful year. But he reassured the people that something would never happen again, especially not here.

 

Knowing what happened in Gotzha and seeing the same thing happening here is just too shockingly to comprehend. Tolten stands _frozen_ in the theater. He knows he has to do something to help his people, but what can he do? Looking to his people again he is glad to see his soldiers helping them. _They will take care of them,_ he thinks while trying to find a solution for their current problem. _But what exactly is the problem?_

He doesn’t have to wait long for his answer. Standing in front of his father’s statue is a woman in blue. _She is not wearing blue she_ is _blue._ Tolten realizes. The woman is stroking the man’s cheek lovingly, before destroying it without remorse. “Stupid human,” she spats out disgusted.

 

Tolten had no doubt this woman is behind whatever is happening here. Without hesitation he walks to this woman and asks “who are you?” _What are you?_ Cold is radiating from this woman making Tolten shiver. He can feel his temperature dropping standing so close to this woman.

 

Feeling the anger and fury radiating from this woman he points his sword to her chest. Holding the mighty _Age of the King_ swordwith both hands Tolten is ready to fight for his people. He will defend his people. Even if he had to pay the highest price of all, his own live.

 

“I am the Ice Goddess,” the blue woman answers his question.

 

_SNAP._

 

_Hell had frozen over._

 

* * *

_“Where are we going?”_

_“How many times have you asked that question yet?”_

_“Too many..”_

_“It’s still the same answer.”_

_“I don’t like that one, give me another one!”_

_“To the light.”_

_“Well thank you. That’s_ so _much better. Not.”_

 

* * *

 

 

Every year the tournament is held. Kelolon’s from all over the world gather here at Kelolon Village. The entire population exists of green little people, much smaller than humans. The only exception of their green skin are the royals, who always have red skin and are much bigger than the other Kelelon’s, they are even bigger than humans.

 

The tournament had never been that eventful since the humans were competing, the humans who saved the world. Cooke really was something to make it to the final, she had to defeat her brother on the way, but she succeeded. All she had to do then was to defeat the King. If she could defeat him she would get the ultimate white magic, _Divide_. It was no easy fight, Cooke got some help from her friends, but she won in the end and the magic was hers _._ She is the only human who knows the Divide spell.

 

Nobody had ever made it so far since then, he had not fought in the competition since then. Therefore the king was quit bored. He had had no real competition since then. _How long had it been? Ten years? I wish they were back._ Although that wish was not only referring to the battle. He was quit taken with the ladies, especially Sarah and Cooke, and had a wish to make them his wives. The clear sound of a bell brings his mind back to the present.

 

Forming a single line the Kelolon warriors presents themselves before their King. The warriors are the same ones as the year before, and the year before that and they year _before_ that. It are always the same and the King knows everyone of them by name. In the back of the line however is one he had not seen before. He is as tall, or short, as them. He too had a green skin but he is certainly no relative of them. In his right hand he holds a knife and in his left a lantern. _Who is that?_ The King wonders. _Maybe I got some competition after all._

Giving the signal for the first round to begin he leans back on his throne ready to enjoy the fight. Before he had touch the back of his throne the green stranger is the only one left standing. All the other Kelolon lay scattered around the arena, dead. Brutally murdered.

 

“Who are you?” He asks. _I’ll destroy you. I’ll revenge my people._ He stands up to walk to this tiny beast.

The creature waves his lantern back and forth. A purple light emerged from the lantern hitting the Kelolon King in his chest. Followed by its knife, deeply nestled in his heart.

 

_He sure holds some grudge._

 

* * *

 

_“Why are you helping me? Have you any idea of what I have done?_

_“I know what you did.”_

_“So why are you helping me?”_

_“Because it was,_ it is, _not your fault.”_

_“I don’t understand.”_

_“You will.”_

* * *

_They are late_ Kyra thinks while standing at the end of the pier, waiting for the Highwind to return. As the captain of The Highwind her father, Cid, is away most time of the year. Her father loves the sea, he wants to sail the seas until the day he dies. One time he came very close to dying. Ten years ago, when Kyra was just a child, her father was with the people who had to go to the Grand Staff. The Grand Staff was a magic engine, but something was wrong with it making the people of Saman sick. A curse was making them act weird. Kyra doesn’t know much what happened then because her parents forbade her to leave the house. For which she is glad. _It was so scary, even inside the house I was scared._ That truly was the darkest time of their history. But her father returned and so did the light.

 

Seeing the Highwind in the distance Kyra sprints towards her home, pushing the door open she yells to her mother “Mom! Dad is home!” Not waiting for her mother to follow her, she is already running back to the pier.

 

Her mother joins Kyra after a few minutes. She too had been anxious for her husbands return. A smile lifts her face when she can see her husband. She expects her husband to be smiling too, but Cid had a grim expression on his face. Nola knows something is wrong. Holding her daughter back she waits for her husband to tell her what is wrong.

 

It does not take long before Cid walks to his family and greets them with a hug and a kiss.

 

“What’s wrong honey?” Nola asks her husband.

 

“Something strange just happened,” Cid replied. “We where on the middle of the sea when suddenly a big dog appears out of nowhere.

 

“A dog?” Kyra asks surprised, she knows how much her father hates them and would never allow a dog to be onboard. Nobody would dare to sneak one on the ship.

“It was not a normal dog, you see. It had three heads,” Nola gasps and hold her hands in front of her mouth. “That’s why we were so late. He ripped our sail apart.”

 

Looking to the sail Kyra now can clearly see what the damage on the ship is. Not only the sail was ripped apart, but bite marks can be seen everywhere. _A three-headed dog destroying the ship?_

“Is everyone okay?” Nola asks.

 

“Yeah everyone is fine. Scared, that’s all.” Kyra shudders at the thought what this dog could have done to her father and his crew. “Let’s go home.” Her father said, walking away. Grabbing his hand she follows him.

 

Reaching the central plain Kyra sees a beautiful red ruby lying on the street. Not able to resist such beauty she tries to pick it up, however it is much too heavy for her. She wants to ask her father to help her but the ruby is moving on its own. Taking a closer look Kyra can see a green looking rabbit emerging from the ground. The gem is part of its body. Kyra cannot believe her eyes, _it is beautiful._ Slowly her hand wanders to the ruby, she just wants to feel it. Her fingertips are grazing the ruby when suddenly it is gone. The creature had just disappeared into thin air. Disappointed she wasn’t able to touch that ruby she turns around only to see a big three-headed dog standing behind her parents.

 

“Watch out!” Kyra screams. “Behind you!”

 

Her parents turn their heads and look straight into the dogs’ big mouth. Rows of sharp shining teeth with which he can kill them with one bite. Her parents hold each other tightly, knowing this is their last moment together. “Run Kyra.” Her father said quietly.

 

“NO!” The heart wrenching scream of their daughter is the last thing Cid and Nola heard.

 

Kyra begins to run. As fast as she can. Far away from the horrors of Saman.

_Don’t look back._

 

* * *

 

_“Slow down old man, I almost died back there.”_

_“Kaim.”_

_“What’s that?”_

_“My name.”_

 

* * *

Tender Flora, that was the name Cooke and Mack gave these flowers. Kaim and Sarah call them Lirum’s Flowers, after their deceased daughter. Here on the Northern Cape Lirum’s Flowers are just beginning to bloom. These flower have a nice fragrance, it really smells like spring after some rain. It smells fresh but also sweet.

 

Kaim is spending the day alone. Once a week Sarah goes to the Village of Tosca to get supplies from the market. Normally he would go with her, but today he felt like staying home, so he did. He did not stay home long before he had the urge to go to the Northern Cape, he wants to pick some flowers. Flowers which he will put on his daughter memorial in their garden. That’s why he stands in front of the Tender Flora, but these flowers are too beautiful to pick and his grandchildren made him promise _never_ to pick these flowers, so he won’t. Picking the next bunch of flowers he lays eyes on, flowers with lovely blue and white petals, he walks back to his house.  

 

Walking back Kaim stops when he reaches Lirum’s flowers again, the memory of his daughter invades his mind. As much as he tries not to think of his daughter he always will. Holding the flowers in the palm of his hand he is grateful for the grandchildren his daughter had given them, Cooke and Mack. Even under the circumstance he met his grandchildren, he was at least glad he could see his daughter one more time. Sharing their last few words he is eternally thankful that she had forgiven him. For she said ‘ _there is nothing to forgive, it was not your fault. It was Gongora.’_ Even after many years the memory of her is still painful.

 

Cooke and Mack lost their mother but found their grandfather. For it to happen on the same day, that could not be a coincidence, could it? The fact remains if it wasn’t for those two children they would not have saved the world, they would have died at the Grand Staff. It was Lirum’s _presence_ that woke Cooke and Mack, and it was Cooke and Mack that saved all of their lives.

 

Sitting next to the flowers, _when did I sit down?_ He just continues staring at the flowers, remembering the days his daughter was still a child. _That where happy days._

Kaim did not know how long he just sat there when a rush of wind destroy the flowers in front of him. _What?_ Looking around he sees some one standing at the other cliff. _Gongora?_ Kaim wonders. Looking closer Kaim sees that it is not Gongora standing there. _But who is?_ Grabbing his sword, he makes his way to this strange man.

 

Before he can reach him another wind rush almost blows him away. He had never encountered such strong winds, not even on the Ipsilon Mountains. Bracing himself against the wind he tries to take a closer look at the man, but the only thing he sees is a purple armor. The wind makes his eyes water but he will not close his eyes, he has to see what this monster will do.

 

After a few more attempts he knows he cannot get any closer, so he will have to make another approach. Before he had come up with a plan he sees a giant bird in the distance. It does not look like a normal bird. It is much larger, it had no eyes and circling around his green body is _thunder?_

 

The bird gets closer rapidly, making a dive at Kaim and if it wasn’t for his quick reflexes and amount of experience he would have been a goner. Instead of circling back around for a second strike he fly’s further in the direction of Tosca. _Sarah!_ He wants to go running to Tosca, back to his wife, but he can’t. Turning his back to this monster he is facing now would definitely be bad. Knowing he cannot die, he will do whatever it takes to destroy this thing. It may take eternity, but he has all the time in the world.

 

After much struggle against the strong wind this monster blows in his direction, he had finally found a weak spot. Trying to take advance of this knowledge, when he blows he moves to slow to dodge. He lifts his sword and strikes down. Only to hit air. _Where has it gone?_

For minutes Kaim searches for the monster but he cannot find _it_ again. Knowing this will probably be his only chance to get to Tosca, he takes this opportunity and runs. Hoping he is not too late.

 

_Run as fast as the wind blows._

 

* * *

 

 

_“So you’ve got a lady waiting for you?”_

_“…”_

_“Ow come on, talking won’t kill you.”_

_“There is.”_

_“What is her name?”_

_“Sarah.”_

_“So… Where is she?”_

_“Around.”_

 

* * *

 

“Two please,” Sarah said to Sansa who hands her two apples. “Keep the change,” dropping some gill in Sansa hand she takes her apples and put them in her bag.

 

“Thank you,” Sansa says, putting the money away. “Will you come back later and drink some tea with me?”

 

“Not today Sansa.” Normally Sarah would have accepted her offer and have a drink with her, but not today. “Kaim is home.”

 

That is all the explanation Sansa needs and she nods her head. Sansa knows what had happened between Kaim and Sarah and how they grew apart after the lost of their daughter. Being finally back together after all these years, they simply don’t want to be apart for too long. “Maybe next time?”

 

“I would like that.”

 

Missing Kaim was not the true reason why she had to decline Sansa’s offer. She had the feeling something is terribly wrong, but she doesn’t know what. In the back of her mind something is stirring, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Powerful magic.

 

Closing her eyes Sarah tries to determine where this Magic source is coming from. Sarah feels multiple sources, coming from all over the world. Most of them are too faint to pinpoint their location. One however is close, too close, the Northern Cape.

 

_Kaim!_

Feeling the urge to help her husband, she drops her bags and starts running towards the cape.

 

Following the steep path she is forced to stop and drop down when a great green bird flies just over her head. Sarah feels great magic coming from this bird, but it is not the same one she felt before. Sarah knows she must make a decision, follow the bird or look for Kaim. Coming to the conclusion that Kaim can take care of himself she makes her way back to Tosca. Following the green bird.

 

Running back as fast as she can she know she won’t be back in time. The bird is simply moving too fast. Finally reaching the village she can see the damage the bird had already made. The bird however is nowhere in sight.

 

The marketplace was a mess. Not one stall had survived the onslaught. _One bird had caused all this damage?_ The houses where still intact and luckily nobody was hurt. _For how long?_ Sarah wonders.

 

Making her way over to the people she tells the people to get into their houses.

 

“Get inside,” she screams at the people who were still standing outside. “All of you”

 

Walking to the middle of the village, she stands at the centre of the Village. Looking around for the bird she sees some man coming out of their houses, trying to help her. Each of them is holding a weapon off some kind, from kitchen knives till hayforks. “Inside. Now!” She emphasizes, knowing these weapons wont help.

 

After seeing that all of the man have returned save to their houses she squints her eyes and checks the sky. She doesn’t see the bird, but she can feel it is still around. _Where are you?_ Closing her eyes she tries to pinpoint the bird’s location. High in the sky, directly above her she can feel the bird. Looking up she opens her eyes and looks directly in the sun, blinding her for a moment.

 

Realizing what a huge mistake she made she closes her eyes and feels the bird flying at her at full speed. Casting a few protection spells she prepares for the impact.

 

She doesn’t have to wait long. Thunder is soaring through her body, making her moan in pain. Because Sarah is the only one left, she is the prime target of the bird.

 

Sarah embraces herself for the next impact, she cannot be killed but she can feel pain. Thunder soars through her body again. Her protection charms are gone, before she has time to cast them again another round of thunder hits her.

 

Exhausted from the birds continues onslaught she falls on the ground. Knowing she had one last chance before she will lose consciousness she gathers all her magic energy in the palm of her hands. Waiting for the right moment she releases every little bit of energy she had and casts it at the bird.

 

The bird screech out in pain. He saw the magic spell coming but wasn’t able to evade it completely.

 

Anger is emanating from the bird. It flies back to Sarah. Ready to strike again. Knowing there is nothing she can do anymore, she is ready to embrace the darkness. She is even glad for the darkness to come, she desperately wants to be put out of her misery.    

“Kaim…. Wh…Where are you?” Sarah said through clenched teeth. “I… N…Ne..ed… Y..ou”

 

Before she loses her consciousness she sees the shadow of a man.

 

_Kaim? …You’ve come._

 

* * *

 

 

_“We’re here.”_

_“There’s nothing here”_

_“Look closer”_

_“….Hyne, what is this place?”_

_“The Tower of Mirrors.”_

 

* * *

 

“Hurry Mack.”

 

“Do we really have to go back already? We just got here.”

 

“Yes we do.” Cooke and Mack where standing in the Altar of the Abyss inside the Crimson Forrest. The Abyss holds a special place in Cooke’s and Mack’s hearts, this is the place their mother saved them for the first time. Their mother had died just the day before and Mack went to this place to get his mothers favorite flowers. It did not go well and Mack’s life was in grave danger. Cooke with the help of her grandfather and his friends had to save him. If it wasn’t for their mother they wouldn’t have made it out okay.

 

“One more minute please,” Mack sits in the middle of a field full with flowers. That was a side effect of the magic their mother used to save them. Hundreds of flowers grace this place, including their mother’s favorite. But they never pluck one.

 

“We aren’t even supposed to be here,” Cooke is getting really agitated. She too doesn’t want to leave but she knows they have to. “Aunt Ming made us promise not to come here without adult _supervision,_ ” The last part is spoken sarcastically.

 

“But you’re a grown-up.”

 

“For some reason that’s not the same,” that was another thing that really bothers Cooke. She _is_ an adult, but they still treat her like a child. “What’s that?”

 

“What’s what?”

 

“Didn’t you hear that?” Cooke asks her brother. Looking around she tries to find the source of the sound. The two of them sit in silence for a few minutes when she hears it again. “There. You heard that?”

 

“Yes,” now Mack did hear it too. It was a rustling sound, like something is moving through the flowerbed. Standing up Mack follows her sisters to where they think the sound is coming from.

 

“What’s this?” Cooke asks out loud when she sees a strange little green thing between the flowers. _That wasn’t here before._

 

“A cactus?” Mack had heard of this plants existing, but they only live in deserts. “What is a cactus doing here?”

 

Cooke shrugs her shoulders. She had no idea why it is here or where it came from. Nor does she really care.

 

“What are we going to do with it?”

 

“Leave it,” Cooke said “We really need to go. Like now.”

 

Both have forgotten the sound they heard prior to finding the cactus. And neither of them think of checking again.

 

Walking back to the elevator Cooke feels a stinging pain in the back of her neck. “Stop that Mack!” She yells while rubbing her neck.

 

Mack is confused at his sister’s sudden outburst. “Stop what? I didn’t do anything.”

 

“Mack!” Cooke is really furious when she feels a sting again. Turning her head she sees the cactus standing behind her brother. “Look out!”

 

Before Mack realizes what happens Cooke had thrown her brother out of the way, making them falling down, hard. Sitting up Cooke removes something from her arm. _A needle?_

Looking at his sister he sees she is looking to the Abyss. Following her gaze he sees the cactus standing on top of the Abyss. _It has a face?_ Mack had no time to wonder about that little fact when he sees the cactus holding a needle in his hand, ready to throw it at them.

“Run,” Cooke hauls Mack up and the two of them start running to the elevator. Followed by hundreds of needles trying to hit them.

 

“Elevator,” Mack nods his head and concentrates on the elevator. Calling for the magic from within, he commands the lift to rise.

 

The elevator lifts from the ground before the cactus had reached them. Both of them let out the breath they have been holding. “Need some help?” Mack asks his sisters who is busy removing the needles from her skin.

 

“Thanks,” Cooke really is thankful for her brother, when he begins extracting the needles. “You know we are not out of the clear yet.”

 

“I know,” Mack said when the elevator stops at the Maze of Gloom. “We’ll have to tell Aunt Ming.”

 

Checking their surrounding they are relieved that the cactus is nowhere in sight. “Hurry Mack,” realizing the rustling sound they heard before must have been from that cactus, Cooke is really glad to have made it out okay.

 

Mack nods his head and the two of them make their way back to Numara. Thankfully without any further delays.

 

_We’ve been through the eye of the needle._

 

* * *

 

_“WELCOME”._

_“Wh.. Who’s there?”_

_“A friend”_

_“You? I thought I killed you?”_

_“WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU.”_

_“…We?”_

_“You know them as Guardian Forces.”_

 

* * *

 

 

A magnificent creature soars through the air above the ruins.

 

A holy machine waits in the midst of the ruins.

 

A great dragon lands on the highest top in the ruins.

 

“This place is filled with spirit magic.” The first one said.

 

“We must get rid of this remaining power.” The second one said.

 

“We crash this place together!” The third one said.

 

_Eternal Breath_

_Holy Judgment_

_Mega Flare_

The Temple of Enlightenment is destroyed.

 

_And so will the humans who fill this world._

 

* * *

 

_“What are the GF’s doing here?”_

 

_”TO FIX WHAT THEY BROKE.”_

_“What did you break?”_

_“We will explain later, we go now!”_

 

* * *

 

 

Some distance away from the city Ming and Jansen are at the beach, enjoying a quiet moment with just the two of them.

 

Lying on a blanket they just finished the last remaining of the picnic. Ming is lying with her head on Jansen’s belly and Jansen’s hand is lying protectively over her abdomen.

 

After Ming told Jansen the great news, the expecting of their first child, Jansen had been overprotective with her. He had not left her side since she told him, he is always making sure she doesn’t lift or pull anything, making sure she gets plenty of nutriments. The first week this gesture was really sweat, but now it is quit annoying. Still Ming said nothing of this to her love, she simply loves him to much to hurt him with the truth.

 

Just two days ago they had told their people that she was expecting and that this child will be the next ruler of Numara. She will retire when her child will have the proper age to rule. The people of Numara where overjoyed with the news of her pregnancy, but they were sad with the news of her retirement. The people have relied on Ming for all of their lives, it will be hard to follow someone else and put the same trust on him or her. But Ming reassured that her people will be fine. She will help her child and country anyway she can.

 

In the end there was a big party being held in the palace, where all the people were invited to come to congratulate the royal couple. Knowing Ming won’t leave for many years, until her child reaches adulthood, the people were really happy. Ming knows they will love her child as much as she already does.

 

Stroking her abdomen slowly Jansen asks Ming “what do you think it will be?”

 

Brought back from her thoughts she answers “a boy, and you?”

 

“Definitely a girl,” Jansen replied chuckling. “No doubt.”

 

“How are you so sure?” Ming turns her head so she can look Jansen in the eye.

 

“I had a dream,” and Jansen tells her all about his dream.

_A little girl with blond hair put in two pigtails. Eyes as blue as the ocean, shifting to purple when she looks up. She is playing on the beach, building a great sandcastle. Not far away from her stands Ming, a proud and loving look on her face when she watch the little girl play. In the background stands a great light tower._

Shifting her body Ming hugs Jansen waist and starts crying, overwhelmed with emotions she doesn’t know what to say to him. Ming had always believed in the power of dreams, and knows their must be some truth in it. _A daughter._

 

Jansen hugs her tighter and the two of them remain lying like this for some time, neither of them saying anything. The just savor this moment.

 

Maya hates to interrupt this sweet moment between the royal couple, but she knows she must. Walking to the couple she whispers “my Queen, it is time.”

 

Looking to her lady in waiting she nods her head and give Jansen a nudge. “We have got to go now love.”

 

“Already?” Jansen said disappointed.

 

“I am afraid so.”

 

“Okay then, let’s go,” helping Ming to her feet, the two of them hold hand and begin the walk back to the palace. Followed by Maya and their guards.

 

“We should do this more often.”

 

“I agree,” Ming said while hugging Jansen’s arm.  

 

Reaching the fountain their ways split. Jansen returns to the palace while Ming goes to the harbor. “I will see you tonight love,” Jansen said while pulling Ming into his arms and gives her a sweet kiss on the lips. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” Ming gives Jansen’s hand one last squeeze and leaves Jansen standing near the fountain.

 

When Ming is out of his sight Jansen turns to look at the fountain. The fountain is one of his favorite places in Numara, he is always mesmerized by this beauty. The sound of the water is hard to miss, even when the plain is crowded with people you can still hear the sound of water, but not today. _Why can’t I hear the streaming water?_ Jansen walks closer to the fountain only to see there is no water in the basin. _How is that possible?_ Making his way back to the palace he intends to ask their ‘handyman’ to take a look at it and fix the problem, whatever the problem is.

 

Reaching the entrance of the palace he is shocked to see people _running_ out of the palace, all of them have a shocked expression on their face. _What’s happening?_ Confused Jansen makes his wayinside where he bumps into one of his advisors. “What’s happening?” He asked the bald man.

 

“M.. M… Monsters.” Is all his advisor said, before he runs away.

 

_Monsters?_

Gathering some soldiers he walks into the great hall. In the middle of the room two monsters are standing. One big, one small, both wielding large axes. Jansen can understand why his people are running away.

 

Giving his order to the soldiers they spread out of the room, surrounding the two monsters completely.

 

“Attack!” Jansen screams and the all begin running to the monsters. However before they were able to reach them the ground begins to shake. _An earthquake?_ Having trouble to stay on their feet Jansen sees the two monsters lifting their axes and hit the first soldier, killing him with one blow.

 

With the continues shaking of the earth and the rapid loosing of his soldiers Jansen orders for the retreat.

 

Walking further into the palace he tells everyone he encounters to leave the palace and to get to the harbor. _Ming are you alright?_

Ming and Maya are walking next to each other in silence when Ming abruptly stops and puts a hand on her chest.

 

“What is wrong my Queen?” Maya asks.

 

“Magic.”

 

“Pardon me?”

 

“Powerful magic,” before Ming can say more the earth begins to shake. After a minute the shaking stops. “It’s coming from the palace!” _Jansen!_

 

Wasting no time Ming runs back to the palace.

 

The earthquakes are increasing in number, they last longer and they get stronger every time.

 

_I am coming Jansen._

Ming did not see the water coming.

 

* * *

 

_“Do you care to explain what happened? What did you break?”_

_“SILENCE.”_

_“This really is not the place, nor the time to explain it all.”_

_“But….”_

_“We are almost there. Then we can talk.”_

 

* * *

The pirate fortress is Sed’s biggest treasure. He can hold all the gold in the world, but if he had to lose his fortress he would have gone mad. Luckily for him such thing had not happened. _Yet,_ Bran thinks jokingly.

 

Bran had the bad luck of drawing the shortest straw, which _doomed_ him to stay to protect the fortress. _Like this place needs protection._ He was forced to stay behind while the others went fishing. _At least I don’t miss the real action._ Their haven’t been any real action lately. They don’t have any reports of missing treasures or any rumors of where one could be. So to spend his time a very bored Sed had decided to go fishing today.

Still he hates to be left here, especially alone. With no one to talk to he gets bored pretty soon. If it wasn’t for the water stream below, the fortress would have been completely silent. _That_ would have freaked Bran out, if there is one thing he can’t stand then it is complete silence.

 

Hence why he had have never been left behind in all these years. Serving Sed for fifteen years he had never before left his side. _Not once, and here I am. Alone,_ Bran thinks grimly.

 

The only bright side about staying is that he finally has some time to clean and polish his gemstones. He has a huge collection of them, gathered in all the years he is a pirate. He even got some of the rarest ones, he is quite proud about his collection. But lately he had neglected them, _I can finally make it up to them._ Bran grins and makes his way to his cabin.

 

Climbing a ladder Bran sees two black boots on top of the platform. Confused he said “back so soon?”

 

There is no response and Bran continues climbing. Reaching the top he sees nobody. “That’s strange. I could’ve sworn I saw someone standing here,” he talks to himself. Shrugging he walks further to their equipment when suddenly he hears a sarcastically voice.

 

“There was. Now I am up here.”

 

Looking around he still sees nobody. “Where?” He asks.

 

“Up.”

 

Slowly he lifts his head and sees the most terrifying creature he had ever seen. If someone asks him to describe the creature that stands before him the only thing he can recalls is darkness, a black and red demon, with spiky wings.

 

Making a run for it he jumps down the ladder and is glad he doesn’t hear footsteps following him. After some time he looks back, looking if he can see the demon behind him. Seeing nothing he is both relieved and anxious. _Where is it._ Turning his head back he sees the demon standing in front of him, their faces apart by mere centimeters. “H… H… How?” Bran stutters.

 

“Gravity.”

 

Bran is already running the other way. But in no time the demon stands before him again, laughing his wicked smile. Bran tries running away, but wherever he goes he just can’t escape him. _Damn him._ Bran is realizing the demon is playing a cat and mouse game with him, and Bran isn’t the cat. _I can’t hold on much longer._ All the running had made him tired. “Come on! Stop playing! Do what you want to do with me,” anger, frustration and fear slip through his voice.

 

“You don’t want to play anymore?” The demon said sarcastically. “Have it your way!” Spreading his wings he speeds toward Bran.

 

Bran just closes his eyes, thinking, _this is it,_ when suddenly a loud whoosh is heard.

 

A sword sears through the sky, blocking the demons attack.

 

“No more.” A voice said.

 

Bran is relieved he is still alive and wants to thanks his savior. Standing on the ledge above him is a man, covered in a red robe from his head till his toe.

 

“Not you again,” the demon is looking annoyed. “Didn’t we deal with you last time?”

 

“You did not.”

 

“I can see that.”  

 

“So you do have a brain.”

The demon is getting bored with this game fast. “Whose side are you on anyway? Ours or _theirs?_ ” He said while pointing to Bran.

 

“My own.”

 

The demon lets out a low grow and the red robed man grabs a sword in each hand, ready to strike.

 

The black demon just laughs and stretches his wings. “Bring it on.” Both of them jump in the air, moving away from Bran.

 

Realizing this is his only chance he will get as long as the two of them are fighting, Bran crawls silently away. Reaching the Headquarters he makes his way to the secret escape route. _Not so secret anymore Sed._ Sed had told all of his crew of the existence of this tunnel, and of the boat that lies near the end of it. They were only to be used by emergencies. _This is a big emergency._ Grabbing a lantern he makes his way slowly through the dark tunnel, he proceed slowly. He will not risk making a wrong turn and getting lost in these endless tunnels. After what seems like hours, but was in fact just over half a hour, he sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

After adjusting his eyes he sees the boat lying near the coast. Jumping in the ocean he swims to the boat and climbs aboard.

 

_I’ve got to warn everyone._

 

* * *

 

 

_“This is it.”_

_“This is what?”_

_“We’ll wait here.”_

_“What are we waiting for?_

_“Whom.”_

_“Okay…. Whom are we waiting for?”_

_“The children of Fate.”_


	2. Chapter 2

 

_"Is it over? Let's go! Let's go back to our time!"_

_“Shut up! Just calm down and think where we have to go."_

_"Careful guys! Don't pick the wrong time!"_

_"Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp!"_

_"Time...place...who I wanna be with... I wanna go there! Where Squall and I promised. Squall!"_

_"Squall! Let's go home! Where are you!?"_

_(...Where am I?)_

_"Squall! Where are you going!?"_  
  
  


* * *

 

_The children of Fate?_ Kaim’s answer only confuses him more. “Children of fate?” He wonders out loud. “But what is a child of fate?”

 

“A long time ago there was a group of people who saved the world, they were called _the Fated Ones_. The last descendent of these people are called the children of fate.”

“The children of the fated ones. But who are they?”

 

“They are Ellone Sisulart, Quistis Trepe, Irvine Kinneas, Squall Leonhart, Zell Dinth, Selphie Tilmitt,” Kaim paused before continuing “and you, Seifer Almasy.”

  
  


* * *

  
 

Ellone never knew exactly what she was capable of until she initiated time compression. To accomplish time compression only with her power of bringing people into other peoples memory, she still can’t believe that it is possible, but she saw it happening with her own eyes.

When Squall had saved her from Seifer she had run straight into her uncle. She was glad to see him, she knew she was safe and that Squall would take care of the rest. But then Laguna started to explain what was going on, about the Sorceress from the future, Ultimecia. Before she had the chance to process all this new information, dr. Odine’s had started rambling about Time Compression and how she would have to make it happen. Ellone was too shocked to say anything and Odine thought she was refusing to help him, he told her angrily what would happen if she didn’t create Time Compression. But all Ellone could think about was what would happen if she failed, there was no way in hell that she would be the one responsible for the destruction of this world, so she said _no_ to him.

 

It was only after Laguna’s encouraging words and his reassurance that nothing would go wrong, that she accepted to help. It was his big plan, Laguna said, although his plans are always a bit worrying, she couldn’t let her uncle down, she couldn’t let Squall down.

 

_Uncle Laguna promised to stay with me._

 

Laguna’s didn’t keep his promise.

 

In the last few minutes she saw everyone disappearing, vanishing into thin air. So now she is standing here alone, inside the Lunatic Pandora.

 

Not soon after Squall, Rinoa and company left, Laguna, Kiros, Ward and even Dr. Odine disappeared too. For the last one she was glad to be rid of, but she missed the others terribly. Being alone in a place like this would scare anyone. _Even Squall._

 

Before time compression she found out that she can communicate with her powers, but only if she was asleep. After accidentally contacting Squall in her sleep she had tried to master it. Laguna was scared out of his mind when she first spoke to him, he thought he heard ghosts speaking. _That was funny._ Ever since she had connected with Laguna when she was awake, she had tried to contact with others, but every time that failed. She hadn’t contacted with anyone since then. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

 

_‘Uncle Laguna, Kiros, Ward!’_

 

Not one of them replied. _Try again, try harder,_ Ellone pushes herself. Desperate she is even trying to reach Odine, but still she gets no answer. Growing tired rapidly she knows she has to stop, but she can’t, _I won’t._ Ellone will try until _someone_ answers.

 

_‘Hello can anyone hear me?’_

 

 _‘I hear you,’_ a female voice suddenly said. Looking around Ellone doesn’t see anyone. Realizing she must have finally made contact with someone she closes her eyes and asks _‘who are you?’_

Ellone doesn’t get any response. The voice she heard was familiar, but she can’t place it.

 

She tried the next ten minutes to make a connection and then she waited another ten for her to make contact, but she didn’t hear that voice again.

 

Waiting here she knows she has to make a decision, to either stay here or leave and find the others. If she leaves her spot, there is always a chance she too will get transported into Time Compression, and who knows what she will have to face then? Understanding it is too risky to leave, especially on her own, she has no other choice then to stay.

 

She slips down against the wall and she waits. It doesn’t take long before Ellone’s eyes get heavy and she dozes off. Her soft snoring is the only sound in the deserted Lunatic Pandora.

 

The soft clicking of high heels wakes Ellone up. Someone is walking towards her she realizes. She looks around and sees only a blur of yellow. “Selphie?”

When the figure gets closer she sees it is not Selphie who is approaching her. “Mother?” Shock is written all over her face. Her mother was supposed to be dead, but here she is, standing in front of her, alive.

 

“My sweet Ellone.” Sarah said opening her arms and Ellone runs into them, not even thinking about falling into Time Compression.

 

“I thought you were dead.” Ellone starts sobbing. “You and dad were gone, I don’t understand.”

 

“Shhh. It is alright sweetheart,” Sarah starts stroking Ellone’s hair. “I am sorry I had to go and leave you, but your father and I had some things to do.”

 

“Is father here too?” Hope is rising in her chest. If her mother was okay after so many years, so must her father.

 

“I am sorry, he died a long time ago,” using her thumbs she wipes Ellone’s tears away. “You can mourn later, we have to go.”

 

“Go?” Ellone wants to stay here with her mother. She wants to know where her parents went and why they had to leave her. She wants to know why her mother doesn’t look a day older since the last time she saw her, when she was just a small child. She wants to stay in her mother’s arms until this nightmare is over.

 

“We need your help.”

 

“My help?” Ellone had no idea why her mother would need her help now, hadn’t she done enough already? “With what?”

 

_And who is these we?_

* * *

_"Is it over? Let's go! Let's go back to our time!"_

That was easier said then down. The final fight was hard, but in the end they had won. All of them had survived, only to get separated and lost in this strange darkness.

 

Irvine is standing in some kind of wood. Giant trees block the light of the sun, giving this place a creepy atmosphere.

 

Hearing a twig snap Irvine grabs his Exeter, his finger at the trigger, ready to take a shot. His eyes checking his surroundings.

 

Standing still for some time he doesn’t hear anything. _Must be my mind playing tricks on me._ Releasing his first finger from the trigger he holds his gun loosely in his hands. _Think about where you want to go._ But it is to no avail. Irvine thought about the place he wanted to go, _the orphanage,_ and with whom, _Selphie,_ but neither where anywhere close.

 

With nothing else to do Irvine starts walking, hoping he walks into the right direction. He knows it is not the smartest thing to do, when you are lost you have to stay where you are so that someone else can find you. _But what if everybody stays where they are, we can wait for a long time then._ So he walks, one foot in front of the other.

 

Irvine walks for some time but there were no changes, the same trees and bushes surrounds him, total silence except for his footsteps. It is unnerving him.

 

After seeing the same tree _again_ he sits down on the ground, his back against the tree. He is exhausted and he doesn’t know what to do or even where to go. He is completely and utterly lost. _I am just going to rest for a little bit._ He thinks while closing his eyes.

 

As a sniper Irvine had learned from a young age to always be alert of his surroundings. Even when he sleeps he will wake up from the softest of sounds, but not here. Everything is different here, Irvine didn’t hear the footsteps approaching and when someone suddenly whispered in his ear, “you lost?” This person places a hand on his shoulder and Irvine's instinct kicks in. He jumps to his feet aims his gun, and he almost fires when the person shrieked.

 

“WOW!”

 

An eerie silence follows until the man said, “easy there son,” a familiar voice said with a bit of humor in his voice.

 

“Laguna?”

 

“I’ve been looking for you,” Laguna lowers Irvine’s gun. “You don’t need that.”

 

“Sorry about that,” Irvine said while putting his gun back into its holster. “I was just surprised to see you. Hell, I am surprised to see anyone around here.”

 

Chuckling Laguna said “I can imagine _that_.” His facial expression changes to serious when he asks “You did beat Ultimecia, right?”

 

“We sure did.” Proud is slipping through his tone.

 

“That’s good. Everyone okay?” _Is Squall okay?_

“Yep, everyone is cool. Squall too,” Irvine caught the non-spoken question. “At least the last time I saw them.” Anxiety settles in Irvine’s chest when he thinks about his friends. “Have you seen any of the others?”

 

“I haven’t.” Laguna replied. “I was told I would find you here, and only you.”

 

“Find me? Here? Why? Who asked you? Weren’t we supposed to come back on our own. You know with love, friendship and that bullshit.” Sarcasm and anger seeps through his voice.

“There were some complications,” Laguna started. He understands why Irvine is angry, he was angry too. “We need your help once more.”

 

“With what? Didn’t we just save the world?” Anger leaves Irvine and is replaced with doubt.

 

“It is a long and complex story and I am not the right person to explain everything,” Laguna begins to chuckle. “I don’t even understand half of it.”

 

 _Oh boy._ Irvine is confused. Things don’t happen the way they should be. He should be with his friends right now. Celebrating their victory. Having a good time, but here he stands, stuck in this dark place with Laguna of all people. _Well it could be worse._ “Who can explain?”

 

Laguna’s suffers from his famous leg cramp while he grunts. “My father,” and holds his leg to his chest.

 

“Your father?” _Squall’s grandfather?_

_Boy, his relatives show up at the most unexpected moments._

* * *

 

  
  


_“Shut up! Just calm down and think where we have to go."_

How Zell longed to hear their voices again. Being here all alone scares the hell out of him. Zell had always been afraid of the dark, no one knew of this of course, it is his best kept secret. But if his only way out of this dark pit was to tell everyone about his fear of the dark, he would tell everyone. Without a doubt every single person on this world would know of his fear, even his archenemy Seifer. Thankfully for Zell he didn’t have to spill his secret. _Yet._

Zell is touching the wall with his right hand. The wall under his hand is covered in moisture, removing all the warmth that was left in his hand. But still it is the only way for Zell to make his way through this pitch black cave.

 

Zell knows he had to keep moving, if he stays here he will surely freeze to death. So Zell keeps walking until he feels, well until he _doesn’t_ feel the moistures wall beneath his hand.

 

Stroking his hand on the smooth surface he pulls his hands back when he feels a sting in his finger. A _splinter?_ Realizing it is wood he is feeling he gives it a few knocks.

 

“Ouch!” Zell yells holding his hand after he hits something that is not wood or the wall of the cave. “What was that?” Trying to find the place he knocked he is surprised to feel a doorknob. _What’s a door doing here?_

 

Feeding his curiosity he turns the doorknob and the door opens smoothly, soft light illuminates the cave, even though it isn’t bright his eyes still need a moment to adjust after spending such a long time in complete darkness.

 

When his eyes have adjusted he steps over the thresholds and enters the small living room. The light he saw is coming from a single candle standing on the table. Walking closer he can see the dust lying on the table. Next to the table are two wooden chairs, also covered in dust.

 

Seeing another door Zell decides to check it out. He opens the door and is shocked to see “Kiros?” standing in the small kitchen.

 

“Ah Zell, I have been waiting for you.” Kiros said while handing Zell a cup of hot steamy tea, “thirsty?”

 

Mouth wide open Zell can do nothing but stare at Kiros.

 

“Do you want me to help you?” A chuckling Kiros asks.

 

Shifting back to the presents he shakes his head and takes the cup of tea from Kiros, “thanks.”

 

“No problem,” Kiros said while directing the two of them to the living room. “Take a seat.”

 

Taking a seat Zell begins to sip from his tea, slowly. Peeking once in a while at Kiros, to make sure he is really here, “do you know where we are?” After slurping the last of his tea Zell wipes his mouth clean with his arm, “or how to get home?”

 

“I don’t know where we are or how to get back home,” Kiros begins. “All I know is where we’ve got to go.”

 

“Got to go?”

 

“Where we will meet the others.”

 

Zell doesn’t need to ask who those others are, “you know where they are?” A very excited Zell jumps from his chair, making it fall down, and raises his fist in the air and shouts. “Let’s go then!” And he is out of the door before he even finished his sentence

 

Kiros can’t help but laugh at Zell’s demeanor. “Wait up,” he says when he too walks out of the house. “I have a torch.”

 

Silently the two of them make their way through the caves. After what seems like hours Zell sees a light at the end of the tunnel. _Daylight?_ “Hurry, we are almost there.” Zell runs past Kiros and makes it to the exit in no time. Shielding his eyes from the bright light he can hear Kiros stopping next to him. When he removes his arm from his eyes he sees that they are standing in a forest. “Where to next?”

 

“That way.” Kiros said while pointing to their left. “We are almost there.”

 

A big grin appears on Zell’s face when he sees two figures standing next to some trees. Walking closer he recognizes both of them. “Irvine! Laguna!?”

 

Turning their heads Irvine and Laguna see Zell and Kiros walking up to them. A smile graces their faces. “What took you so long?” Laguna asks Kiros.

 

Kiros shrugs his shoulders and smiles. “I wonder where Ward is.”

 

“Ward is here too?” Zell asks. “Then where is he?”

 

_And where are the others? Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, Selphie? Where are you guys?_

 

 

* * *

 

_"Careful guys! Don't pick the wrong time!"_

Selphie just wished she could pick a time, any time, just to leave this strange place.

 

She is standing on some kind of platform. It is small, only a few meters wide but in length she can’t see the end of it. Selphie can hear water flowing so she walks to the edge of the platform and looks down, but she can’t see the water, or anything for that matter, just a dark gaping hole.

_Am I this high up?_

 

She shudders at the thought of what would happen if she falls down from this height. Normally Selphie is not afraid of heights and she never had any problems with standing at the edge of any high building. But here she barely dares to stand at the edge of the platform to look down. Stepping back quickly she is glad to be standing in the middle of the platform again. _Just don’t look down again._ Selphie thinks to herself.

 

Seeing her own shadow makes Selphie look up to the sky to sees the giant clock again, however now it is hanging right above her. She can clearly see the details now. Light is illuminating from the clock, casting a soft glow over the platform.

 

When Selphie first saw the clock she was mesmerized by it. The clock is hanging in the sky but it wasn’t attached to anything. The clock hands were beautiful in their own way, decorated with al types of flowers, the colors ranging from yellow to purple, with lots of flowers Selphie had never seen before. But the hands of the clock aren’t moving, the time stands still. That is what scared Selphie the most. _Does time really stands still here, or is this some kind of illusion?_

After staring at the clock for some time she lowers her head and rubs her neck, trying to loose the stiffness. Loosening her muscles her eyes catch a glimpse of a person walking some feet away and she shouts, “STOP!”

 

The person doesn’t stop, he doesn’t even turn around, and he just continues walking in the opposite direction. This person either didn’t hear her or was ignoring her.

 

“Please stop!” Selphie tries again, but still the person just keeps on walking. Running to this person she recognizes him immediately, “Ward!” she says and hugs him from behind.

 

Ward stiffens at this sudden contact, he reaches for Selphie and _throws_ her away.

 

“Ouch,” Selphie whines. “What was that for?”

 

Seeing who he had _thrown_ of him,he hauls Selphie back to her feet and gives her an apologetic look. _Sorry._

 

“It’s alright, it’s my own fault really, for sneaking up on you.” Selphie straighten her yellow dress with her hands _, much better._

 

Putting his hands on Selphie shoulders he looks in her eyes and asks ‘ _you okay?’_

Selphie sees the question in his eyes and says “I’m fine. You?”

 

Ward nods his head and removes his hands from her shoulder after giving them a gentle squeeze.

 

“Have you seen the others?”

 

Ward shakes his head in a negative response.

 

“Do you know how to get home?”

 

Still the same answer from Ward.

 

“Crap,” Selphie mutters. “What do we do now?”

 

Ward points to Selphie. _‘You.’_ He makes a walking movement with his first and middle finger. _‘Follow.’_ Next he moves his finger to his chest. _‘Me.’_

 

“Oh, I like hints,” Selphie is jumping up and down from excitement. “I walk you?”

 

Ward puts his hand to his forehead, shakes his head and walks away without Selphie noticing, she is engrossed with _hints_.

 

“No, that’s not right.” Selphie mumbles to herself. “I walk, no... I follow you! That’s it,” looking up she sees Ward had already left, without her. “Hey! Wait for me!”

 

Selphie runs after Ward and neither of them notices that the clock had started moving again.

 

“Don’t leave me behind!”

 

The soft ticking of the clock is the only sound that remains here.

 

 

* * *

 

_"Whatever you do, don't fall into a time warp!"_

 

Why she didn’t listen to her own advice is a mystery to her. _Because it was bad advice,_ Quistis thinks.That _light_ world they were in after defeating Ultimecia was like a giant cheese. A giant _white_ cheese with holes everywhere. It was a wonder they didn’t fall into a time warp sooner.

 

Quistis is on a beach, sitting on the sand with her knees drawn up to her chest. Water rolls down on the beach in gentle waves. This would be a beautiful place if it wasn’t for the thick mist covering the beach and ocean, leaving the sun no place to shine upon the earth.

 

Quistis had walked along the coast for hours but the mist didn’t disappear. Earlier she had found some footprints in the sand which she was following until they disappeared. Having found no trace of the footprints since she had decided to take a break.

 

 _Where is everyone?_ Quistis wonders while resting her head on her knees. W _here am I? How do I get home? S_ uddenly she spots a new set of footprints, getting to her feet she sees a whole trail of them. Hope is rising in her chest while she continues her way along the beach.

 

It doesn’t take long before Quistis finds the person from which the footprints belong.

 

A woman is sitting on a rock, the sun is shining through a hole in the mist directly on this woman, giving her an angelic appearance. The eyes of the woman are glued on the horizon, as if she is searching for something.

 

“Hello Quistis,” the woman said when she looks at Quistis with her purple eyes.

 

“Do I know you?” Quistis asks. She had this strange feeling in her chest that she knows this woman.

 

“You do child,” she said while folding her hands in her lap. “I am a friend of your Matron Edea. I helped her sometime at the orphanage.”

 

And suddenly Quistis remembers. _As a little girl she played at the beach. She is building the biggest sandcastle she had ever seen. Not far away from her stands Ming, a proud and loving look on her face when she watch the little girl. In the background stands a great light tower._ “Aunt Ming” she whispers.

 

“Come sit next to me.” Ming said while petting the spot next to her. “We have a lot to discus and not much time.”

 

“I have so many questions.” Quistis confesses. “Where are we? What are you doing here? Why….”

 

“Slow down Quistis.” Ming said with a smile on her face. “One question at the time. Remember we don’t have much time.”

 

“Okay,” Quistis shrugs her shoulders “just tell me what I need to know. I have too many questions and I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

 

“I would say, start at the beginning, but the story is too long to tell you now. I will tell you when we are all accounted for”

 

“You mean the others? Do you know where they are?”

 

“They too are lost in Time Compression. But fear not,” Ming sees the sad look in Quistis eyes, “they too will find their way back to the light.”

 

“I don’t understand!” Frustration slips through Quistis voice. She just wants to get home and see her friends again.

 

“I will explain everything later.” Ming said while putting a hand under her chin. “But what I can tell you now is this, we are in need of your Blue Magic.”

 

“My Blue Magic? Why?”

 

“It is time.” Ming stands up abruptly, leaving Quistis bewildered behind. “We are leaving.”

 

Quistis follows Ming silently. _What is happening?_

 

Looking behind her Ming can see that Quistis is lost in her thought, “You can still ask me a question.”

 

“I don’t think you will answer any of the questions I have.”

 

“You won’t know until you try.”

 

After walking in silence for some time Quistis has finally found the guts to ask her next question. “You don’t look any older since the last time I saw you. How is that possible”

 

“That too is a long story Quistis.” Ming said with a mysterious glint in her eyes. “Only time will tell.”

 

Slowly the mist is retreating, revealing a blue sky with a beautiful sun shining brightly.

 

 

* * *

 

_"Time...place...who I wanna be with... I wanna go there! Where Squall and I promised. Squall!"_

_"Squall! Let's go home! Where are you!?"_

_(...Where am I?)_

_"Squall! Where are you going!?"_

 

Squall walked alone in the desert which stretches for miles and miles. _...I'm not alone. ...If I call out, they will answer._ Sand is the only thing he sees around him. This abandon place is where Squall had landed after time compression began.

 

“Where is everyone!? Rinoa! Where are you! Rinoa! Zell! Irvine! Quistis! Selphie!" He shouts to the air. _...Am I...alone? Rinoa? I want to hear your voice. Which way...do I go? I can't make it back.. alone. Rinoa? Am I...all alone again? Where...am I?_

 

Squall is all alone. There is no one here. So he just starts walking, one foot in front of the other. For Squall it feels like he has walked for months before he finally arrives at a cliff. Seeing he can’t walk any further he turns around only to see that the path had crumbled behind him.

 

There is nowhere he can go, he can’t get of this cliff.

 

Squall had lost all hope until he sees a feather in the sky, floating down to him. He sees Rinoa running in a flower field. She stops in the middle and clutches his ring. Squall shouts, “Rinoa!” and she turns around, but the face that is looking at him is distorted by time compression.

 

It was like someone had touched the reply button, he keeps seeing her distorted face. The scenes replays in Squalls mind, over and over again. Those were not the only scenes he sees, he sees all the moments he had spend with Rinoa. The last image Squall sees is of a feather which floats down to a white room.

 

Squall falls down on the ground, exhausted. The images of loosing Rinoa are too much for him to handle. He looses consciousness. His mind wanders to what happened earlier.

 

_I'm gonna find Sis!" Squall hears a voice so much like his own. Squall recognizes the place he is standing in, it is the lighthouse orphanage and it is still intact_

_"Squall!" Squall recognizes the voice as_...Matron?

_"Excuse me. Have you seen a little boy?" Edea asks Squall_

_"You don't have to worry. The boy won't go anywhere."_

_"I think so, too. Poor thing..."_

_A fatally-wounded Ultimecia appears, and stumbles towards the two._

_Squall is shocked "...You're alive!?"_

_"...The sorceress?" Edea too is shocked to see a sorceress at her doorstep._

_"Yes, Matron. We had defeated her...” Drawing his gunblade he points it at Ultimecia. “Matron, stand back."_

_"It's ok. There's no more need to fight. That sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers. I know..” Edea takes a pause before continuing. “For I am one, too. I shall take that sorceress' powers.” Looking back at the orphanage she said softly. “I don't want one of the children to become one._

_"I...can't...disappear yet.” Ultimecia’s voice is weak._

_Ultimecia passes her powers onto Edea and dies, her body disappeared into nothingness._

_"Matron!" Squall screams while rushing up to Edea._

_"Is this..the end?"_

_Squall is not sure which end she is talking about. "...Most likely."_

_"You called me Matron.” She looks at Squalls face. “Who...are you?"_

_"A SeeD. A SeeD from Balabm Garden.”_

_"SeeD? Garden?”_

_"Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. Garden trains SeeDs. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress.”_

_"What are you saying?” Finally she knows where she had seen that face before. “You're...that boy from the future?"_

_"...Matron."_

_"Please return. You do not belong here."_

_Little Squall returns back to the orphanage."...I can't find Sis. ...Am I...all alone?” Seeing there is someone talking to Matron he asks, “who's he?"_

_"Nobody. You don't need to know. The only Squall permitted here is you.” Turning her head back to the grown up Squall she continues. “Do you know where to go back to? Do you know how? Will you be all right by yourself?_

_Squall gives Matron the SeeD salute._...I'll be all right, Matron. Because I'm not alone.

In the desert, Rinoa finds Squall. She sees Squall lying on his back, and fears the worst. Running to him she sees that he lies there, lifeless. Rinoa cradles him and starts to cry, whispering “I love you,” in his ear.

 

As she hugs him, the desert turns into a flower field with petals blowing all over them. Surprised Rinoa looks up to see that the dark clouds are pushed back and the sun shines upon them.

 

“We will be fine Squall,” she said to the still unconscious Squall. “You’ll see.”

 

In the distance she sees two figures walking up to her.

 

_We are all going to be fine._

* * *

 

 

 

“Me?” Surprise is written al over Seifer’s face. “I’m one of these children of fate?”

 

“YOU ARE.”

 

“So my ancestor was a hero.” Hope is rising in his chest, if his ancestor was a hero he still had a chance to fulfill his ‘romantic’ dream.

 

“NO.” The booming voice of Odin shatters his hope and dreams.

 

“No?” Seifer stutters, “but you just said….”

 

“He was the villain,” Kaim begins. “He belonged to my kind, but in the end all he wanted was power, that is what destroyed him.”

 

Seifer doesn’t know how to respond to this knowledge. His ancestor was the bad guy and so was he. _So bad things run in the family._

 

An uncomfortable silence fills this huge place before Odin said.

 

“THEY ARE HERE.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

_THEY ARE HERE_. Odin’s words still ring in his ears. “All of them?”

“EVERYONE.”

“How?”

“I have sent my friends to find them.”

“..Oh,” Seifer is anxious, he doesn’t know how everyone will react on his presence. Although he is pretty sure most of them will be angry at him, and he can’t blame them.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I am su..”

Before Kaim can continue Seifer said angrily, “how do you know? You don’t know what I have done to them,” he lowers his head and said softly “especially, what I have done to Rinoa.”

“Now is the time to find out,” Kaim said while pointing in the distance, “here she comes.”

“Sorceress,” Odin’s horse scrapes his hooves and shakes his manes, “White Knight and Blue Mages.”

_Rinoa, Squall? Quistis, and.._ “Wait, you said Blue Mages. I only know of one, Trepe. Who is the other?”

“Just wait. Everything will be explained later.” The next is said to Odin. “Old friend, it is time for you to leave.”

“I will teak my leave,” Odin grabs his reins, Sleipnir whines and they gallop away.

“Where is he going?” Seifer is bewildered at the sudden departure of the guardian force and his six-legged horse. “I thought he was going to help us.”

_But with what? I still don’t know. I wish the others would hurry. I don’t care what they think about me I just want to know what is going on here._

“He is,” is the short answer of Kaim. Seifer understands the need of silence so he says nothing more. Silently the two of them await the arrival of Seifers former enemies.

_So are we now allies? It sure is a strange world._

Looking back at the distance Seifer can see them clearly. Squall is walking, _more like stumbling_ Seifer thinks, between Rinoa and Quistis. His arms are dropped over their shoulders for support. The three of them are slowly approaching. Next to Quistis a beautiful woman walks with them, _I have seen her before,_ but Seifer can’t remember from where. “She is the other Blue Mage?” Seifer asks Kaim while pointing his head at the unknown woman.

“You mean Ming? Yes she is.”

Ming? I know I have heard that name before. “I thought that the power of the Blue Mage was passed from mother to daughter. Trepe is the last of the Blue Mages. Ming cannot be her mother, she told me her mother was murdered by Adel.”

“She is not her mother, she is,” Kaim pauses, “…a relative.”

A gasp is heard and Seifer knows the others have spotted him. Looking back to them he sees that all of them have stopped walking. Squall stiffens between the two women, a look of rage in his eyes. Rinoa looks at him with fear and Quistis just looks confused. But what confuses Seifer the most is the look in Ming’s eyes, _Sympathy?_

Seifer feels a hand on his shoulder and a comfortable voice saying, “relax. Everything will be alright.”

“Yeah right.” Seifer scoffed.

Ming continued walking and is standing next to Kaim and Seifer. “I don’t know if you remember me but I am Ming.” She said while holding Seifer’s hand between both her hands. “I spend some time at the orphanage, helping Edea.”

“But you don’t look a day older since then? How is that…”

“Possible?” Quistis intervened. “Don’t ask. I have already tried but she wont answer me.”

Seifer is shocked that Quistis is talking to him. _Surely she must hate me too._

“You _do_ look older.” Ming said with a smile on her face. “How are you feeling.”

“Surely you cannot mean this.” Squall grunts.

“Squall!” Rinoa had never seen Squall this angry. She understands why he is angry, she too is angry. But Ming told them it wasn’t his fault, and she and Quistis believed her. Squall didn’t, he wanted proof or an explanation. Ming told them, _It is not fair to him if I would tell you before him_. Quistis and Rinoa didn’t ask for more, knowing she wouldn’t tell them, Squall didn’t. If Squall wasn’t this exhausted he probably would have forced some answers out of Ming, _thankfully it didn’t get that far._

Seifer’s eyes shifts from Squall’s to Rinoa’s and finally rest on Ming’s. “I’m fine.”

“No strange feeling in your head or chest?”

_Head? Chest?_ “No, should I?”

“No, no. No feeling is good.” Ming said relieved. “Are we the first ones?” She asks Kaim.

“Yes. Can I talk to you in private?”

“Of course.” Ming walks away with Kaim. Leaving Seifer alone with Squall, Rinoa and Quistis.

The four of them are standing rooted on the spot. Nobody says a word. Squall is still supported by Rinoa and Quistis, and once in a while either of them sends a small cure spell into his system.

Finally Seifer had found the gut to break the silence. “Instructor, Puberty boy, Rin, how are you guys?”

“How are you? How dare you ask?” If it wasn’t for Quistis and Rinoa holding him back, Squall surely would have attacked Seifer. “After everything you have done to us!”

“What do you want me to say?” Seifer is getting agitated. “That I’m sorry? Don’t you think I regret everything I did?”

“Honestly?” Squall snorts. “No.”

“It wasn’t mine fault. I don’t care if you believe me or not”

The two women exchange a look of understanding. “We do,” Rinoa said softly, speaking for both her and Quistis.

Squall cannot believe his ears and shrugs Quistis and Rinoa off. After all the cure infusions he feels a lot better and is able to stand on his own two feet. “What?”

“When you were unconscious Ming explained some things to us. You know I told you about this strange feeling I got from Seifer inside the Lunatic.” Rinoa cannot help but shiver when she thinks about the Lunatic Pandora. “Quistis had the same strange feeling, but neither of us feels it anymore.”

“She is right Squall. When I was near Seifer I felt a darkness coming from him, it was powerful, frightening. I felt it in G-Garden too, but when I saw him inside the Lunatic again this darkness was much stronger than it had ever been before. It felt like ten times stronger than at G-Garden.”

Rinoa continues the story. “We didn’t know from each other that we had this same feeling. It was only after talking to Ming that we figured it out that it had something to do with our powers”

“Whatever.” Squall said through clenched teeth. He is walking away from them and drops down on the floor. He doesn’t speak a word to anyone.

Rinoa shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. “Boys!” She said softly so only Quistis could hear her.

A smile is gracing Quistis’ face when she mouthed, _I know._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You think they are lost?” Ming asks Kaim.

“I do. Laguna, Ward and Kiros should be here by now.”

“Give them time, I am sure they will get here soon.” Ming tries to reassure him, but it is not working.

“Sarah?”

“Is near. She will be here shortly.”

“That’s good. Still I would feel a lot better if you would go look for them.”

“Then I will,” Ming replied, “keep an eye on your grandson, I don’t think he and Seifer are getting along.” Looking to where the other four are standing she can see the hatred looks Squall send Seifers ways.

“I will make sure they will behave,” a small smile graces his face, “you go find the others.”  
Ming nods her head and walks away. Before she is out of earshot she heard Kaim say, “be careful.”

“I will.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I have got a bad feeling about this.”

“You always have a bad feeling,” Kiros said. “Ward agrees with me.”

After Laguna, Irvine, Kiros and Zell where out of the woods they found themselves at a great expanse. It was a great field filled with grass and occasional some rocks, there were no trees or bushes. Following the only path there is they eventually got at a crossroad. With three ways to choose from, they didn’t know which way to go. They decided to take a break before they would make a decision. It wasn’t long that they sat there in the field when they heard a shriek, “Irvy! Zelly!” and knew Selphie and Ward had found them. Now they only had to choose between two roads, either left or right.

“Ward always agrees with you,” Laguna mocks, “but still, left just gives me the creeps. I say we go right.”

Before Kiros can start the discussion from the start again Irvine intervened, “let’s vote.”

“Actually Irvine, that is a good idea,” Kiros said, stroking his chin with his hand, “raise your hand when you agree with Laguna.”

Kiros wasn’t finished when Selphie’s hand was already raised into the air, “I go with Sir Laguna!”

“I go where Selpie goes,” Irvine said while slowly raising his hand.

Laguna looks smugly at Kiros when he too had his hand in the air, “I only need one more vote.” Everyone looks at Zell, “Zell, left or right?”

Getting nervous beneath all of their looks Zell’s face get reds when he answered, “left.”

Laguna’s smug expression disappeared from his face when he shouts, “What?”

“Three for left and three for right. It’s a tie.”

“No,” Selphie whines. “What do we do now?”

“Vote again?” Zell suggested.

“No way.” Irvine began, thinking of another solution. After a few minutes he suggests, “we can flip a coin? I must have one somewhere.” Irvine checks al his pocket, both of his jeans and coat, there are a lot of places for him to check, but he comes out empty handing. “Um… does anyone else have a coin?”

Selphie and Zell shake their head in a negative response, “sorry,” Selphie said.

“We are _not_ going to flip a coin,” Kiros said angrily.

“Why not?” Laguna asks. “You were fine with the voting, but you won’t let fate decide?”

“That is different.”

“How so?” Laguna wonders.

“I only agreed with the voting because I thought _they_ ” he points to Zell, Selphie and Irvine “would make the right choice.”

“What!?” All three Seeds shout.

The three Seed didn’t intervened with this discussion before, mostly out of respect for the two older man and because they haven’t seen Kiros that angry before. But from the moment they were mention they couldn’t keep silent, so the discussion started from the very beginning again.

From this moment Ward didn’t listen anymore. He looked across the great field and zoned out for a bit. The harsh voices of the others are only whispers in the back of his mind. Ward didn’t know for how long he had zoned out, but all five of them where still bickering so it couldn’t be that long.

They were talking so loudly that they didn’t hear someone approaching. Ward also didn’t hear her but he saw her coming up to them. Seeing a familiar face he relaxes slightly and walks up to her. Reaching her he shrugs his shoulder, saying _sorry_ nonverbal.

“Sorry? For what?” Ming asks. Ward points to the five people bickering and realization appears on Ming’s face. “What are they fighting about?”

Ward makes a few hand gestures and mouthed, _lost_.

“So you didn’t know which way to go and now you are arguing with road to take?” Ward nods his head. “Then it is a good thing I know the way.” A small smile graces Ming’s face. “Can you make them stop fighting, so they will hear me out?”

Ward nods his head and approaches the five, still loudly arguing, people. He retrieves his harpoon and throws it.

The harpoon lands in the middle of the circle the five of them had formed. All of them jump back when they see the harpoon. Recognizing the Harpoon, Kiros and Laguna look at Ward shockingly.

“What was that for?” All five of them fall silent when they see the murderous look on Ward’s face. “Easy there buddy.” Laguna said.

“Is that aunt Ming?” Laguna sees that Irvine is right, it is Ming.

“What are you doing here? Where is Quistis?” Laguna asks.

“Quistis? Where is Quistis? Did you find her? What about Squall and Rinoa? Do you know where they are?” Zell said, all in one breath.

“Is she your aunt?” Selphie said at the same time, confused.

“I did find Quistis. She is with Kaim, Squall and Rinoa at the tower.” Ming doesn’t tell them Seifer is with them also, she knows how some of them will react on his presence. “You were late so I went looking for you.”

“Dad?” Laguna said softly.

Ming nods her head, “he did ask me to find you,” she sees Laguna drops his head low in shame. “It had nothing to do with trust. He does trust you, but he also knows how easy it is to get lost here.”

“She is right Laguna,” Kiros gives Laguna a light pat on the shoulder. His face lifts up and a smile forms on his lips.

“Is she your aunt Irvy? Selphie is glad the others are fine, but she is intrigued by this Ming woman and she wants to know who she is. She does look familiar.

“Not really Selph,” Irvine replied. “She stayed at the orphanage for some time and we used to call her aunt.”

Thinking back about the time they stayed at the orphanage she does remember a woman staying with them for some time, “we did huh?” Selphie walks to Ming and gives her a hug, “it is good to see you again.”

“It is good to see you all again. But we really need to go now. The others are waiting”

Zell lifts his balled hand in the air while Selphie shouts, “Booyaka!”

The fight from before had been forgotten. Ming’s presence had vanished all feeling of agony and frustration and had replaced it with hope.

Ming walks further until she stands at the middle of the crossroad, “let’s go.”

It only dawns on Laguna now that Ming did come from the right path.

“So I was right?” Laguna said with a grin on his face.

Ming ignores him and simply said, “follow me.” She doesn’t turn around, which Laguna expected, but makes her way along the left path. “This way.”

“No, _I_ was right.” Kiros said.

“You were both right.” Irvine intervened before they start another argument. “Kiros did choose the right way, but the bad feeling Laguna got from the left path is also true.”

“Yeah.” Zell can see where Irvine is going. “Didn’t you tell us before we had to fight some new enemy?”

“See sir Laguna, you are right.” After seeing the deadly look Kiros sends her way Selphie hurriedly said, “but so are you Kiros.”

They continued on the left path. The endless grass field the only thing they see beside the road they are walking on. Out of nowhere a stair suddenly emerged from the ground. A white spiraling stair.

“This is it,” Ming simply said.

Craning their neck to see the top of they stair they are disappointed that they cannot see it. “Where does it end?” Zell asks the question all of them had.

“You will see,” is Ming’s mysterious answer. She starts climbing the stair, and soon the others cannot see her anymore.

“We’d better start climbing too,” Irvine said taking the first step of the stair, everyone soon follows him. “It appears to be a long climb.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mom?”

“Yes.”

“Do the others know?”

“No.”

Sarah didn’t need to ask her daughter to what she was referring to. Ellone had asker her question after question about this new danger they are facing, about where they are, she had so many questions but Sarah had answered none of them. And she won’t tell her anything more before all of them are together.

“How much longer?”

“We are almost there.”

The two women are standing in an elevator with glass walls. First Ellone was very exciting, she loves elevators, especially glass-elevators where she can see her surrounding. But here all she sees is an endless field of grass, the blade of grass rustle in the wind, but nothing more. Even when they got higher all she could see was this expanse. She never saw were it ended. She did see a lonely road lying in the field, but she couldn’t see where it began or ended. Climbing even further she can’t see the road anymore and all she sees is a dot of green. Some time later all she could see is the blue of the sky.

“It is a good thing we are not afraid of heights,” Ellone said laughingly.

Sarah is glad the tension from before had left and she gives Ellone a smile, “I remember that the only thing that ever scared you was an eight legged creature.”

“Spiders still scare me mom,” Ellone confessed. “But not as bad as they used to.”

“It is alright to be scared sometimes,” Sarah draws Ellone into her embrace. “I have been scared so many times that I lost count.”

“You did? But you are the bravest person I know,” she puts her head on her mothers chest, “well beside uncle Laguna and Squall of course.”

“Of course,” Sarah keeps her daughter close until she feels the lift slowing down. “This is our stop.”

A smile graces Ellone’s face. “Is Squall here? And uncle Laguna?”

“Just wait and see,” Sarah said the moment the doors of the elevator open.

When they reach their stop she couldn’t look through the glass walls, the blue sky was replaced with clouds. So when the doors open and she saw Squall sitting on the floor she shouted his name and ran up to him.

After hearing his name he looks at the source of the sound and a genuine smile lifts his face. He stands on his feet in no time and runs to Ellone. When the two meet Squall lifts Ellone from the ground and hugs her tightly.

“Long time no see Sis.”

“I have missed you,” Ellone whispers.

“I missed you too.” Squall whispers back.

Looking over Squall shoulder she sees Rinoa and Quistis smiling at them. She removes herself from Squall’s hug and runs up to them, hugging them at the same time. “Quisty, Rinoa, I missed you too.”

“We missed you too.” Quistis said laughing.

“I..I..am sorry.” Seifer stutters from behind Ellone.

Ellone slowly walks over to Seifer and gives him a small hug before she takes a step back again. “I know. I’m sorry too.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Squall replied hotly. “You have done nothing wrong.”

“I have, you are not the only person I turned my back to.” She loves Squall like a brother, she sees him as her brother but she cares for the others at the orphanage too. “I left all of you, and thereby I hurt everyone. For that I’m sorry.”

Squall looked ashamed at his sudden outburst and Rinoa goes to him and hugs his arm, giving him the support he needs right now.

“Who was with you?” Quistis asks Ellone.

“That is Sarah,” Ellone replied, “she is my mom. Who is she talking to?”

“Your mom?” Squall can’t believe what he is hearing, “I thought she was dead?”

Rinoa punches Squall in the arm and gives him a mean look. “That’s great!” Rinoa said to Ellone, she is really happy for Ellone to have found her mother again.

“She is talking to Kaim,” Seifer answered Ellone’s question.

Upon hearing his name Kaim joins their conservation, followed by Sarah. “This is Sarah.”

After everyone had been introduce to each other, the group splits into smaller ones. Squall is standing with Ellone, as far as possible away from Seifer. Seifer is standing near the elevator alone, his back towards Squall. Quistis and Rinoa are sitting on the ground, talking in hushed voices. Kaim and Sarah are standing together, holding hands. Sarah’s eyes rest on Quistis when she asks, “where is Ming?”

Following her gaze he answered. “I asked her to find the others.”

Nodding her head in understanding her gaze rest on Rinoa, “so she is the sorceress.” Looking Kaim in the eye she said with a smile on her face, “it must be running in the family, falling in love with sorceresses.”

Kaim can’t suppress his smile. “It must be our curse.”

Everyone, well maybe except for Seifer, was enjoying this moment to relax a bit. Everyone was making small talk and so now and then a soft laugh was heard. All until the moment when a loud scream echoed through the room.

“YOU!”

Turning their heads at the source of the sound they see that Ward, the strongest guy they know, was barely holding Selphie, the petite woman, back. Irvine and Kiros had taken hold of both of Zell’s arms, even with the two of them they are struggling to keep him in check. Laguna ignored everyone and made a beeline to Ellone “You did it,” he hugs her tightly. “You made it.”

“All thanks to you uncle.” Ellone said laughing.

“So we are all here,” Seifer mumbles to Ming who is standing next to him.

“We are,” she said softly so only Seifer heard her.

When Kaim stands in front of the newcomers he said, “let them go.”

Reluctant they let them go. Selphie and Zell shrug them off and prepare to attack Seifer when Kaim said angrily, “you shall not harm him.” Selphie and Zell stop dead in their track, what Kaim said wasn’t a statement, but an order.

After the last introductions were made Sarah stands next to Kaim. “It may be hard for you to accept,” Sarah begins, “but you can’t blame him for everything he has done. He…”

“What?” Selphie intervened angrily, “he destroyed Trabia Garden, and he gave the order to fire those missiles. And now you say I can’t blame him?”

Seifer lifts his head low in shame, he knows it is not his own fault but still he feels responsible for his actions and the deaths that followed. He wants to say how sorry he is, but he knows that now is nor the time nor the place. So he keeps quiet.

“If you would let us explain. You will understand.”

Everyone nods their heads and Squall said, “whatever.”

“What he means is,” Quistis gives Squall a meaningful look, “please explain.”

“You’d better go sit down, it is a long story. Also I have to ask all of you not to interrupt me. I know you must have question throughout the story, but I think most of it will become clear when we finish this story. But if they don’t we will answer any question you have after we finish this story.”

Sarah did not lie. It was a long story, but they need to know everything, every little detail before they can understand their enemy. An enemy as old as Kaim, Sarah and Ming. It had rested for thousands of years, and here in Time Compression it will strike.

If they don’t stop it here, it will destroy the world.

Both worlds.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thousand years ago._

 

It had been three weeks since the monsters had attacked. Everyone is gathered in Kaim and Sarah’s place, the Mansion near the Northern Cape. Ming and Sarah are in the kitchen preparing for supper when Sed enters.

“Do you have any news?”

“Nothing we don’t already know.” Sed had taken the Nautilus and sailed along the coast, searching for survivors. They had found some and he brought them with him onboard, but not as many as he had hoped for. He sailed the entire east coast until the Pirate Fortress, his home. “My fortress is in shambles, it looks like a big battle had taken place there. Someone had taken the boat from the hideout, I am sure Bran has made it.”

“But you don’t know where he is?”

“I am sure he will find us Sarah. You need a hand?”

“We would appreciate that,” Ming said while handing him some plates.

Sed makes his way in the dining room and places the plates on the table. Here too the conservation covers the monster attacks from a few weeks ago. _Had it been three weeks already? It feels so much longer,_ Sed thinks. It was a hard and long three weeks and much had happened.

“We are not strong enough,” Kaim’s voice brings Sed back in the present. Sed takes a seat across of Kaim and listens to the conservation.

“If we fight them one at the time we must be able to kill them.”

“I don’t think it will be that easy Mack,” Jansen replied, “and it seems nowadays they are never alone.”

“But their must be something we can do?”

“You can help us get ready for diner,” Sarah had brought the cutlery to the table and is on her way back to the kitchen, “you too Cooke.

Knowing they shouldn’t ignore their grandmother they rise from their chairs and follow her.

“He has a point,” Sed continued as if Sarah hadn’t intervened in their conservation. “If we could split them up somehow and fight them one at a time we have a good chance at beating them.”

“But we don’t even know how many there are,” Jansen starts counting on his fingers. “You spotted two, Kaim saw two, the children saw one, Tolten saw two and I saw two. That makes it a total of nine. But you did see what they did to other towns, there must be more of them.”

“But we have to do something!” Sed slams his hand on the table, “before they kill us all.

“They are not all bad,” Tolten intervened. “If it wasn’t for this Odin I wouldn’t stand here right now.” His daughter, Seth, is sitting in his lap, browsing through a picture book. She has no idea what her father and his friends are talking about. “Nor would she.”

“That is one good one against eight. Still the odd are against us.”

Mack and Cooke enter the dining room carrying their diner. Sarah and Ming follow them. After they have placed the bowls on the table everyone takes a seat and starts scooping food on their plates.

They eat in silence. All of them lost in their own thought. Thinking about what had happened and what will happen in the future.

Ming is the last to put her cutlery down and asks, “who wants a dessert?”

Nobody reacts, nobody is in the mood for a dessert. The same goes for eating, but they know they have to keep eating, to keep their strength up. But the food isn’t tasteful and it is harsh to swallow.

“I want one,” Toltens daughter said. Her blond hair is put in a braid and her sparkling blue eyes look hopefully to Ming.

“Then you get one sweetie,” Ming ruffles her hair and goes to the Kitchen to retrieve the dessert.

Even though nobody said they wanted anything, Ming brought some for everyone. For the little girl she brought some ice cream, but for the others she brought a strong drink. “I thought we all could use some.”

Reluctant everybody drank their spiked drink and Ming had finished her water. Seth wasn’t finished with her ice yet, and it seems she hadn’t eaten most of it with all the ice cream that is covering her face. Cooke rushed to the kitchen to get a tow to clean Seth’s face.

“More please?” She said with pleading eyes after Cooke had wiped the ice cream of her face.

“Not today sweetheart,” her father replied, “you have had enough for one day.” Seth begins to pout, she looks at her father with her big pleading blue eyes. “Fine, you can have some more,” Tolten just can’t resist his little girls puppy eyes. 

Seth turns on his lap put her arms around his neck and gives a small kiss on his cheek. “Thanks daddy!” She climbs of his lap and rushes to the kitchen, her empty bowl and a spoon in her hands.

“I will get her some,” Cooke starts chuckling. “You really can’t deny her anything huh?”

Tolten looks at his daughter lovingly and shrugs, “I can’t.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Will you tell me a story?”

“Of course I will.” Cooke had offered Tolten to bring Seth to bed tonight. Cooke loves to spend some time with Seth, she loves her as a sister. She knows Mack feels the same way about her. She can’t believe Seth is already three years old, she can remember the day of her birth like it was yesterday. Tolten was so nervous about the birth of his first child that he almost passed out. _Thankfully that didn’t happen_ , she thinks grinning. “Which story would you like to hear?”

“About mom.”

It had been a full year since Seth’s mother died. A terrible disease had taken her life away from her way too early. There was no cure, they had tried everything but nothing helped. Neither medicine nor magic seemed to help to get her better. Thankfully it didn’t take to long for death to claim her, every waking moment she was in so much pain, even the strongest painkillers couldn’t ease her suffering. Tolten was devastated. Every single citizen of Uhra was present at their Queens burial. So was the group of people sitting in the living room. Ever since her death it had been hard for Tolten to raise his daughter on his own, he was doing fine until the monsters attacked. _Don’t think about them now,_ she scolds herself, _let’s worry about them later._

“Your mom is an angel now,” Cooke begins, “she is living in heaven, my mom is with her too and they are best friends. There are many other angels and you mother is friends with them too. Your mother has the most beautiful wings you have ever seen. And she watches over you,” Cooke touches Seth nose which makes her giggle, “like my mother watches over Mack and me.”

“Your mother has wings too?” Seth asks while suppressing a yawn.

“She does have wings, but they are not so pretty as your mothers wings.” Seth is trying hard to keep her eyes open, she doesn’t want to sleep. “Some nights they leave the heavens and fly into our dreams. Here…” Cooke hears the soft snoring of Seth and stops talking, “let’s finish it another time,” she whispers. She tucks her under the covers and places a kiss on her forehead. She tiptoes out of the room, afraid to wake her up. Dimming the light, Seth is still afraid of the dark, and demands to have some light in her room, she closed the door and makes her way to the living room.     

Descending from the stairs she is surprised to hear the doorbell ringing, _who can that be?_ She wonders.

“I’ll get that!” She shouts and makes her way to the front door. Opening the door she is glad to see a familiar face standing there, “Bran!” she hugs him tightly “I am so glad that you are okay.” She looks him in the eyes, “you are fine, right?”

“”M fine. Is Sed around? I’ve something important to tell.”

 “Sure, come on in.” After Bran had entered she closed the door and walks to the living room, “follow me.”

 When both of them enter the living room the conversation falls silent when they see who is standing next to Cooke.

 “Bran,” Sed jumps up and gives him a bear hug. “It is so good to see you again. Are you alright?”

 “Yes I’m fine,” Sed released him and pointed to a chair that was unoccupied. Bran sits down and continues, “I see you made it out okay. You did hear about the monsters right?”

 “We have all been attacked by them yes, Jansen replied, “we were lucky to make it, but a lot of others weren’t that lucky.”

 “I know, I have seen them,” Bran strokes his newly grown beard, “most cities have been destroyed.”

 “Did you find any survivors?” Sed asks his friend.

 “I did, most of them have found shelter along the coast. There had been no sight of the monsters outside of the cities.”

 “We have ordered the White Boa and the Nautilus to sail along the entire coast looking for survivors,” Ming said, “there are a lot of people we can hold aboard.”

 “You can’t save everyone.”

 “We know. But we must try,” Ming said while stroking her belly.

 “Bran. Have you encountered some of these monsters?”

 “I did, I saw two in the Fortress. But the strangest thing is they were fighting against each other. And only after one of them saved me from the other.”

 “So that makes two?” Sarah mumbles.

 “Two?” Bran asks confused.  

 “I too have been saved by one of these monsters,” Tolten told Bran, “I was attacked by one of them and then this Odin saved my life.”

 “I see. I heard people talking about other monsters so I decided to check it out. In Uhra and Numara there are at least six of these monsters. In Tosca and Saman I saw four others.”

 “Whom did you see?” After Bran had described all of the monsters he saw, they got to the conclusion he saw three other monsters beside the ones that they had encountered so far.

 “I didn’t see that Odin or that great Sea serpent but I did see a small green monster holding a knife in Uhra. In Saman I saw this three headed dog and that rabbit like creature.”

 “That makes it a total of fourteen monsters which we have seen so far, with only two of them fighting on our side.” Sarah had described all the monsters they have seen so far in her journal.

 “I don’t know if they fight on our side, the monster that helped my said he was fighting for his own side. Whatever that means.”

 “But they didn’t kill us,” Tolten sees Bran wants to say something, “please, let me finish. They didn’t kill us yet. All I want to say is that we should try to avoid them if possible. Maybe they will help us fight the other monsters and maybe the wont. Either way we have to be prepared to kill them in the end.”

“That means if we even manage to kill one,” Jansen said softly.

 “There had to be a way,” Cooke said while taking a seat next to Mack. “There must be something we can do.”

"We need more information,” Sarah closed her journal and puts it in her lap, “I have looked in the library but I haven’t found anything so far, but there must be something we can find to help us.”

“Captain if it is alright with you I would like to help find survivors.”  

 “That would be appreciated. With both the Nautilus and the Escape we must be able to save more people.”

 “Yes sir!”

 “We should also check the libraries of Uhra and Numara,” Ming said, “perhaps you could drop us of first before you go check for more survivors?”

 “You are not going anywhere,” Jansen replied hotly. “You will stay here.”

 Before Ming had any chance to argue Kaim said, “I agree with him, you should stay here.”

 “So who is going?” Mack asks the group.

 “We need two party’s, one for Uhra and one for Numara.”

 “I will go to Uhra.” Tolten replied.

 “And I will go to Numara.” Jansen said.

 “I will go with Jansen.” Kaim said while drumming his fingers on the table. “Sarah will go with Tolten.”

 “What about us?” Cooke asks for both herself and her brother.

 “I need you to stay here. You need to help Ming search the library here.”

 “That won’t take all three of us.” Mack replied angrily. He doesn’t like to be treated like a child. He can take care of himself. He can help them.

 “I need someone to look after my daughter.” Tolten interfered.

 Mack takes a deep breath before replying. “We will look after her and search the library.” He looks to Cooke and he sees she agrees with him.

 “Sed you will go with Tolten and Sarah to Uhra and Bran will take us to Numara.” Kaim looks everyone in the eye, asking them if they have any objections to this plan, seeing there is non he said, “we leave tomorrow.”

 One by one everyone said their goodnights and went to bed. After all those restless night everyone falls asleep immediately. Finally they have found something they can concentrate on and hopefully they will find the clue they need to destroy these monsters

  _Sweet dreams,_ the wind whispers, leaving two white feather’s behind.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“What takes them so long?” Cooke asks to nobody in particular, grabbing another book from the large staple on the table before her.

 Turning another page Ming traces her finger along the lines. “I don’t know. But don’t worry so much, they will be fine.”

 “I know Kaim and Sarah will be fine, they are immortal, but what about….”

 “Tolten and Jansen will be fine.” Ming reassured them.

 “How can you be so sure Aunt Ming?” Mack walks to the shelve and gets himself another heavy book. He takes his seat next to Seth again, she too is flipping through a book. Although her book is a children’s book filled with pictures.

“I just know. I would know if something terrible happened to them.”

 Knowing Ming would never lie to them they continue their search for any information which can help them.

 All three of them work in silence, the turning of the pages and their breaths the only sound in the room.

 “Aah!” Seth suddenly screams. She drops the book she is holding and climbs in Mack’s lap. She clutches his shirt and starts sobbing. Mack strokes her back and asks, “what’s wrong?” But he gets no answer.

Cooke looks at the book Seth was reading and a, “Oh,” leaves her mouth. “Seth found something.” She said while she walks over to Ming with the book in her hands. “This looks like the monster Bran encountered at the Pirate Fortress. It sure looks scary.”

 “Why would that monster’s picture be in a children’s book?” Flipping through the pages she can easily recognize most of these monsters. Closing the book she sees the title, “Guardians of the World,” she reads out loud.

 “Guardians of the World? More like destroyers of the world.” Cooke said sarcastically.

 “Anything useful?” Mack asks. Still holding a sobbing Seth in his lap.

 “Not much,” Ming replied. “It states the names of the monsters.”

 “That’s all?” Cooke said disappointed. She thought they had finally found something useful.

 “No,” Ming said while reading. Next to every picture there is a small description of the guardians. “It writes about the elemental they posses, but there is nothing about how to destroy them.”

“Damn!” Cooke shouts. She looks to Ming and then to Seth, “sorry.”

 “It’s okay,” Ming said. She puts the book back on the table and walks to Cooke, giving her a hug. “Everything will be okay. I promise you.”

 Cooke feels a little tug on her leg and looks down. Seth is standing next to her, her eyes red from the crying. Her arms are lifted and she asks, “up?” Cooke lifts her up to her hip and the three woman hold each other tightly. Finding support in each others presence.

 “Come here Mack.” Ming said and Mack too is involved in their hug.

“Can I get a hug too?” A very familiar voice asks.

 Ming can recognize that voice from everywhere, “Jansen”

 She runs up to him and the two share a passionate kiss.

 “Kaim. Bran.” Mack sees the other two man standing in the door opening. An amused smile on their face. “Did you find anything? Did you see any of these monsters?”

 “Unfortunately not,” Kaim replied. “We were able to avoid the monsters, although we have seen three of them. The whole city is destroyed.” After some silence he asks, “did you find anything?”

 “We found a children’s book with the pictures of these monsters.” Mack grabs the book and gives it to Kaim. “They are called the Guardians of the World?”

 “Guardians?” Bran looks over Kaim’s shoulders at the book. “That is the one who attacked me.” He points at the picture of the guardian named Diablos. “I wonder if the other one is in it too.”

 Kaim hands the book to Bran, whom starts flipping through the pages immediately.

 “Anything useful?”

 “Not really. We know their names and their element preference, but that is all.”

 “You did find something. There must be more.”

 “Gilgamesh!” Bran suddenly yells. “This is the one who saved my life.” He turns the book so everyone can see the picture. “There is not much known about him. Only that he has four swords. I can’t recall that he held so many swords, but I was kinda busy escaping so I didn’t look clearly”

 “Where is daddy?” Seth pulls at Cooke’s sweater to get her attention.

 “He is not here yet. He will get home soon.”

 “They are not home yet?” Kaim turns his head to Cooke and Seth.

 “No.” Cooke shakes her head.

 “I don’t know about you but I am starving.” Bran said while rubbing his stomach, “if I could get something to eat I can be on my way again.”

 “Of course, I will prepare something for all of us.” Holding Jansen’s hand Ming makes her way to the kitchen.

 “Could you go to Uhra first?”

 “Yep. I was planning to go south anyway.”

 “Thank you,” Kaim said and he too makes his way up to the kitchen. Followed by Bran, Cooke and Seth.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Two days later Sarah, Tolten and Sed returned. It was still early morning and everyone was asleep in their beds, everyone except one.

 “Daddy!” Seth screams and runs up to her father. Tolten lifts her up and holds her close to his chest.

 Sarah and Sed share a smile at this sweet reunion between father and daughter.

 Seth’s scream had woken up the others and all of them run down the stairs and exchange hugs and handshakes.

 “We were worried about you,” Cooke confessed, “you were gone for so long.”

 “We ran into some trouble along the way,” Sed replied, “but we made it.” a smile graces his face when he hugs Cooke. “And we found something.”

 “You did?” Hope rises in Cooke’s chest. “That’s great.”

 “What did you find?” Kaim asks Sarah after sharing a kiss.

 “I brought the book with me,” She taps the bag she is carrying. “We would like something to eat first though.”

 “Of course.” Ming already walks to the kitchen. “I will make us some breakfast.” Mack and Cooke follow after Ming to help her.

 “Let’s sit down at the dining table, we can talk while we eat,” Jansen leads everyone to the table, they all take a seat and are waiting silently for their breakfast. It doesn’t take long before the sandwiches arrive.

 “We did encounter Bran.” Sed said with his mouth full. “He told us about your little adventure.”

 “It wasn’t anything near that funny.” Jansen replied annoyed. What happened was funny, but not for Jansen.

 “Anyway. I have sent both the Nautilus and the Escape to the White Boa. The will follow the orders of your General.”

 “That is good, thank you,” Ming replied. “What did you find?”

 “A book about our world.” Sarah replied. “We found Gongora’s diary. There is a lot of information about our world. I found this passage which explained something about some mythical creatures.”

She flips through the diary until she finds the right page. “He mentioned something about a children’s book. It is called _‘the Guardians of the World’_ in wh...”

“We found that book!” Cooke yells. “I’ll get it.”

  When Cooke returns she gives the book to Sarah. “That’s it,” Sarah said while flipping through the pages. “They are mythical creatures from our world, but they have been gone for so long that I haven’t heard of them before. It says that they were created by somebody called Hyne. She wanted to save this world but she wasn’t allowed to leave ours, she made the Guardians and she dispatched them to this world to save humanity. There is not much known about why this world needed saving nor why our people weren’t aloud to come. It only states that the Guardians had saved this world and afterwards they disappeared. They hadn’t been seen on either world again.”

“If only we could go back to our world, we might be able to find some answers.”

 “But we can’t go back,” Kaim said. “The Hall of Mirrors is destroyed.”

 “Gongora wrote in his diary about a way to control these creatures,” Sarah searches for the right page and when she found it she reads out loud, _“I found out that a powerful magic engine can bring back these Guardians from my home planet.”_ She closed the book and puts it on the table. “He says something about finding some samples to bring them back, but I can’t make anything out. His handwriting is hard to read and I doubt he really knew what he was doing.”

“But had he brought these Guardians back when he was still here? Shouldn’t we have encountered them sooner?”

 “It can’t have been Gongora.” Kaim shifts in his chair. “If he had succeeded he would have bragged about it in the Hall of Mirrors. He wouldn’t have fought us, but let others do the fighting. It can’t have been him.”

 “But who else can have brought them back?” Jansen counters, “the only immortals are present in this room, and you didn’t even know about them. How can some mortal know about them?”

 “Who wrote that book?” Sed asks Sarah.

 Sarah gets his point and takes a closer look at the book, “there is no name.”

 “Gongora wrote that book,” a voice said which they hadn’t heard for over a decade.

 “Momma?”

 “Seth!”

 “What?” the little girl on Tolten’s lap asks. “Daddy? What’s wrong?” She asks when she sees the shocked look on everyone’s face.

 “Hiya all!” Seth said to everyone. Taking a look around the table she sees how much Mack and Cooke have grown and that a child is sitting on Tolten’s lap. The child looks at her with big blue eyes. “So cutie, what is your name?” She asks when she ruffles her hair.

“Seth.”

 A smile forms on Seth’s face “Guess what, that is my name too.” Both Seth’s shake hands “Nice to meet you.” Turning to Tolten she asks, “yours?”

 He nods his head. That is all he is able to do.

 “Well, this is the most warmly welcome I have ever had.” She said mockingly. She hadn’t finished her sentence or she was already involved in the biggest group hug she had ever seen. Even little Seth who had never seen her before, joined in the hug. “That’s much better. Thanks.” Everyone takes their seat again and Seth stands at the head of the table. “I have some bad news.”

 “How did you get back here?” Jansen wants to know, he suspect it had everything to do with the bad news Seth had.

 “I am here to find Gongora. But what I did find disturbs me even more.” She walks around the table and looks through the window outside. Dark clouds are gathering in the sky, it will rain today. “When did the Guardians attack?”

 “Almost four weeks ago.” Sarah replied. “You know about them?”

 Seth nods her head and takes a seat between Tolten and Sed. “They told me, about how Hyne created them and after they saved this world they vanished. There is no one in our world who knows if this Hyne is still alive. Nobody has ever seen her.”

“Why did Gongora wrote that book?” Kaim asks.

 “We don’t know. I only know that he was the one who wrote it.”

 “Did he give these Guardians new life?”

 “He did.” Seth shakes her head sadly “We had him contained in our world. There was no way he could get out of his prison. He must have had some help because one day he was just gone. We have looked all over for him but we found no trace. He wasn’t on our world anymore, so he must be here. That is why they send me back. I have to find Gongora and bring him back.”

 “And what about these Guardians. Do you have any idea about how we can stop them?”

 “I have no idea Ming. I fought one on my way here, they are strong. I barely escaped unharmed. I don’t know if we can kill them.” Feeling Seth needs some support little Seth climbs on her namesakes lap and makes herself comfortable. Seth puts her arms around her and the little one starts sucking her thumb lightly. Calming both of them with one simple action.

 “Maybe there is something in the book?” Cooke suggests and she gets the children’s book while Sarah grabs the diary and the both of them make their way to library.

 “She sure is a cutie,” Seth said to Tolten. “How long have I been gone?”

 “Ten years.”

  _That long?_ “How old is she?”

 “Three,” Tolten answers.

 “Do you have any children?” She asks her son.

 Sed’s face turns bright red when he answers “not yet, momma.”

 “So there is someone you like?”

 “Um… Yes.”

 “Good for you son.” She pats him lightly on the shoulder, “I want one as sweet as this one. You did good Tolten.”

 Tolten’s face also turns red “Uh…Thank you.”

 “No thank you.” Seth looks Tolten in the eye. “For naming your daughter after me.”

 “That was my way of thanking you.” Tolten replied, a small smile graces his lips. “You did help me a lot, thanks to you I am a better King now.”

 “Who is her mother?”

 “Vera. She died,” Tolten’s eyes are downcast, “a year ago.”

 “I am so sorry.” Seth squeezes Tolten hands. He looks at the child sleeping in Seth’s lap and he can finally put a smile on his face, the lost of his wive doesn’t hurt that much anymore. He has a daughter to live for.

 All of them are waiting in silence for Sarah and Cooke. Hoping they will find a clue that can help them. Jansen and Mack are helping Ming cleaning the table while Ming is preparing some tea.

When Ming comes back to the living room she almost drops the cups she is carrying while Cooke comes rushing back to the dining room.

 “We found something!”

  

 


	5. Chapter 5

“What did you find?” Seth asks when all of them are in the library.

 

“A way to contain them,” Sarah said removing her glasses from her nose and rubs her eyes.

 

“Well?” Jansen asked tiredly.

 

“The Guardians can be contained into magic stones. Each of them has a unique gemstone and they are quit rare, it will be hard to find them.”

 

“But what do we do with Odin and Gilgamesh?” Tolten asks. “Do we contain them or not?”

 

“I say we do,” Kaim replied. He pushes himself off from the wall he was leaning on and moves to the middle of the room. “They did help last time, but they can still destroy us easily.”

 

“I agree,” Tolten nods his head. “But where can we find these gems?” Tolten looks at the list Sarah gave him, “Sarah is right, they are quit rare.”

 

“That is why it is always handy to have a pirate in your midst,” Sed said laughingly. “I believe I have most of those stones in the Fortress. Bran is a fanatic gem collector. I am sure he has them.”

 

“Are they still there?” Mack asks. “You did say the Fortress is destroyed.”

 

Anger flashes through Sed’s eyes when he thinks at the monsters which destroyed his home. “Not everything is destroyed, Bran’s place is still intact and I doubt the monsters would have taken the time to search through his stuff.”

 

“And what about the Guardians? What if they are still there?” Cooke asks twisting a finger in her hair. “Then we will have to fight them. You know we can’t win.”

 

“I can distract them,” Kaim replied. “They can’t kill me, they can try but will not prevail.”

 

“So that is decided then? We will go to the Fortress.” Sed jumps from his chair and stands next to Kaim, “who else is coming?”

 

“We are!” Cooke and Mack said at the same time.

 

“Don’t try to stop us.” Cooke stamps her foot on the ground and puts her hands on her hips. Mack mimics her stance.

 

“You can go,” Sarah said while putting down the book she was reading.

 

“I will come along too,” Seth replied. “If needed I can help Kaim with his distraction and otherwise I can help look for the gems.”

 

Nobody can contradict Seth’s logic and they all agree on that Seth, Kaim, Sed, Cooke and Mack will go to the Pirate Fortress and retrieve the gems.

 

“But how are we supposed to get there?”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took the Nautilus only a few hours to return to Kaim and Sarah’s Mansion. When Sed realized they didn’t have a ship he radioed the Nautilus and ordered them to return. Thankfully the ship hadn’t gotten really far yet and they turned around immediately.

 

After everybody had finished eating they were finally ready to depart. Sarah, Ming, Jansen, Tolten and little Seth where standing at the quay saving goodbye to their friends on the Nautilus. Seth is clutching her father’s hands and tears are streaming on her face. “What’s wrong?” Her father asks her.

 

“What if they don’t come back,” she replied sniffling. “Mom didn’t come back.”

Tolten’s heart breaks at her words. He lifts her up and hugs her tightly. “They will come back.”

 

“Promise?”

 

With his thumbs Tolten removes Seth’s tears from her cheek. “I promise.”

 

Seth struggles out of her father’s strong arms when she sees the Nautilus is ready to depart. Slowly the ship moves away from them. Running next to the ship she yells, “be careful!”

 

“Don’t worry,” Cooke shouts over the wind, “our moms are watching over us!”

 

At the end of the pier Seth waves enthusiastically with both hands. When the ship is out of view her father walks to her and said “Let’s go.” He grabs her hand and the both of them make their way back to the mansion.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“So I was right.”

 

“About what momma?”

 

Seth points outside. “It is raining.”

 

Seth and Sed are sitting in the control room, alone. They are talking about just anything that happened in the last decade since Seth was gone. From the marriage between Ming and Jansen, _I did see_ that _one coming._ The birth of her namesake, _Tolten seems like a fine dad,_ and the attack of the Guardians, _I wish I was here to help you guys._ Sed told his mother how much he missed her and that he too wished that she was with them at that fatal day. Although both realize that one fighter more or less wouldn’t make a different. Not even an immortal warrior would have been able to stop the onslaught. Still Seth is glad to see her boy again, even if it is only for a short amount of time.

 

“We are almost there,” Sed told his mother. “I will get the others.”

 

Kaim is standing outside of the bedroom, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Listening to the idle conservation Mack and Cooke were having. Cooke is lying on the lower bed while Mack is lying above her. They were talking about what they will do when all of this is over. _So young and already they have to save the world, again._ Kaim hears footsteps approaching and he opens his eyes to see Sed standing next to him.

 

“We are here,” Sed said and returns to the cockpit.

 

Kaim steps into the room and both children fall silent. “It is time.” Cooke and Mack jump of their beds and together the three of them join Seth and Sed in the cockpit.

 

“We will take the secret route Bran used to escape,” Sed steers his ship in a small inlet.

 

“Way to go son! I always knew this route would be useful.”

 

When the ship is docked everyone checks their equipment one more time and they start climbing against the rocks. Thankfully there were enough places for their hands and feet to get a good grip. It was a short climb and in no time they made it to the tunnel. Cooke and Mack both have a torch in their hands and light them. Cooke gives her torch to Sed and he leads the party inside, followed by Seth, Cooke, Mack and finally Kaim, who has taken the torch from Mack.

 

“This is it.” Although it is said in a whispers, it feels like Sed’s voice echoes through the entire cave. The sudden sound after the silence made them all a bit jumpy. The entire way they had kept silent, afraid that any noise might alert the monsters of their presence. Everyone takes a deep breath and Sed opens the latch slowly.

 

“I will go first,” Seth said and she climbs through the latch, “wait here.” She closes the latch and the others can do nothing but wait.

 

It doesn’t take long when the latch is pulled open and Seth smiling face is seen. “It is al clear. It looks like they haven’t come back.”

 

Everyone climbs out of the tunnel, Seth gives Kaim a hand and lifts him up. “They can come back,” he said to Seth.

 

“I know. We will need to watch the entrance.”

 

“I will go,” Kaim walks to the gondola. “You should stay here.”

 

Seth nods her head, she knows what Kaim means. If Kaim spots one of these monsters he wont have enough time to cross the cliff with the gondola and warn the others, if she stands here she can. Kaim will slow the monsters down while she helps the others escape. _And when they are safe I will help Kaim fight. I really haven’t had a good fight in a long time._ “Sed!” Her son turns his head towards her, “Mack and Cooke will help you search. We will keep an eye out for the monsters.”

 

“Okay.” Climbing the ladder to the cabins he said to Cooke and Mack, “let’s make it quick. I don’t like being here any longer than I have to.”

 

Nobody saw the red cloaked man standing above them, following their every move.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“They are beautiful.”

 

Seth is kneeling next to Lirum’s Flowers, looking amazed at the field filled with these flowers.

Her hand is reaching out to get one of the flowers when her father said, “don’t pick the flowers.” Retracing her arm she looks at the group of adults standing behind her. Tolten continues the whispered conservation he had with Sarah. At the edge of the cliff Jansen stands behind Ming, his arms placed over Ming’s belly, both are staring across the ocean.

 

“Why not? They are beautiful. I want to give them to Sed’s mommy.”

 

Sarah gives Tolten a smile and nudges him towards Seth.

 

“They are beautiful, just like you,” his statement makes Seth giggle. Tolten sits down next to his daughter and lifts her in his lap, “but you can never pick them. Cooke and Mack’s mother made us all promise to never pick them. This way everyone can see the beauty of these flowers.

 

“I didn’t know daddy,” Seth looks to her father, “I won’t do it again.”

 

“I know you won’t.” They remain sitting here, looking at the beauty this world still has to offer.

 

“Someone is coming,” Sarah said loudly, “a Guardian.”

 

Everyone is on alert immediately. Tolten stands up quickly, moving his daughter behind him. “Listen carefully, what I have to say is very important.” After he sees she does listen he continues “Do exactly as I tell you. If I tell you to run you run. Okay.”

 

“Yes daddy.” She grabs his father leg and hugs it.

 

Ming and Sarah stand at the highest point of the Northern Cape, between a small formation of rocks. Both women have their eyes closed and are focusing on their magic. Jansen stands close to them, if necessary he will provide cover. Tolten’s main job is to keep his daughter save. Ming and Sarah can take care of themselves, they will survive whatever is coming. Ming won’t let anything harm Jansen so he will be fine too. Sarah will probably keep an a eye on both of them, but he rather have her focus on whatever is coming. He will make sure nothing will happen to his daughter.

 

Tucking on her father arms she points at the other cliff and said, “it is that nice man on his horse.”

Tolten looks in the direction Seth points at and sees that she is correct. It is the Guardian that saved their lives. Tolten is relieved, but still he knows he has to be on guard. He sees that the other three are ready to fire their magic at Odin.

 

“Wait!” Tolten yells, “this is the one that saved me.”

 

Sarah, Ming and Jansen halt their attack and look at Tolten questioning.

 

He tells his daughter to, “wait here” and walks to Odin. He stops a few meters away from him. He holds his sword loosely in his hand, he doesn’t trust the guardian completely. The others are looking at him, wondering what he will do.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I know what you are planning.” The guardian removes his helmet and Tolten sees that he has only one eye left. “I merely wish to help”

 

And he told them everything they need to know.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next day everyone is gathered in the Nautilus. Bran truly was an avid gemstones collector, he had all the gemstones they needed, and more.

 

They are sailing towards the place where the Grand Staff Construction Base used to be. The base was destroyed ten years ago and there is nothing more left then ruble and ruin. Still they have to go there, there is still is an enormous amount of magic left. They will need that magic in order to contain the Guardians.

 

“What did he say exactly?”

 

“We knew we had to use magic power to contain the Guardians. We only didn’t know how much power and how to transfer them into the stones.” Sarah replied. “He told us how.”

 

“So what do we do?” Seth looks questioning at Sarah. “What’s the plan?”

 

“When the Construction Base was destroyed an enormous amount of magic was released,” Ming begins, “there was an new prototype of magic engine which had absorbed all of that magic. We need to find that engine first.”

 

“And when we find that engine? Then what?” _It can’t be that hard to find an engine,_ Sed thinks, but he dares not say it out loud, afraid to jinx them.

 

“That is when Odin and Gilgamesh will help us.” Tolten said. “They along with the _‘immortals’_ will need to attack the Guardians head on.” Jansen didn’t look happy, he and Ming did have a big argument about her joining in the fight. They hadn’t come to an agreement, but Ming had told him she would fight and that was final. “The rest of us will have to transfer the magic of the engine into the stones. When the stones are filled with enough magic the Guardians will return to them.”

 

“When do we know when we have enough magic transferred to the stones?” Mack asks while turning around in his chair.

 

“Keep your eyes on the water!” Sed said loudly and Mack turns around immediately. Mack is steering the Nautilus so he should look at where he is going, not what is happening inside. “How many times do I have to tell you.” Sed said mockingly.

 

Mack is used to Sed’s banter and ignores him, his eyes glued on the horizon.

 

“They will glow. And they will get extremely hot,” Sarah answers Mack question, “so you have to be careful.”

 

Suddenly the ships rocks violently. Everyone had to grab onto something to keep standing. “Seems were here.” Sed moves calmly to the cockpit and gently pushes Mack out of _his_ chair. “Here we go,” Sed maneuvers the ship easily through the clips and along the water whirls.

 

When the ship is on slower water everyone gathers their weapons, they prepare themselves for this final battle. Jansen helps Ming with her preparation, their argument from before forgotten, now they only need to concentrate on their survival.

 

“Here we go again,” Sed said softly. They have arrived at the Grand Staff Construction Base. Here they will make their final stance against the Guardians. If they don’t win tonight, the whole world is doomed.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Odin and Gilgamesh were waiting for everyone at the shore of the Sea of Baus. Together they made their way to the ruins, it is a long and slow trek. Pipes, cables and other remains of the base cover the path, they have to climb, push and pull their way through. They walk in silence, their heavy breaths, their footstep and the soft whine of Odin’s horse Sleipnir the only sound heard. Everyone has their weapon in their hand, ready to strike when needed.

 

“This is the place,” Odin said and he jumps from his horse.

 

Finally they are at the center of the base, a huge crater created by the magic explosion from ten years ago.

 

“Down there?” Cooke asks, clutching her backpack with the gemstones.

 

Odin nods his head and walks to the edge of the crater, the others follow his example. What they see shocks them. It is a long way down, there is no path and if they will lose their footing they will fall a long way down. Mack gulped and grabs Cooke’s hands. “Let’s go,” he said and he lets go of her hand, tightening the handles of his backpack. Both have their backpacks filled with gemstones, so they need to move extra carefully, they can’t afford to lose any gemstone. Slowly they walk down the steep slope, one misstep can become their dead.

 

Jansen followed them shortly, after making sure Ming will be careful and think of their child. Ming promised him she would be careful and after a short kiss Jansen too began the long way down, till the middle of the crater.  

 

Ming, Sed and Odin remain standing at the edge of the crater while the others search for the engine. It didn’t take Sarah long to find the remaining traces of magic and together with Gilgamesh they brought it back to the crater.

 

The engine was relatively small. It wasn’t much bigger than a football. It was a square box, pitch black with only a few small buttons. Beside the buttons there are no decorations or anything. The engine is quite heavy, but two man can easily lift it. Sed and Tolten lift the box and carefully they too make their way down the slope.

 

“Now we wait,” Odin said as he and Gilgamesh take their position, Gilgamesh stands atop the ruins of the highest building, which is still the highest point, and Odin gallops back to the Sea of Baus. Both keep their eyes on the horizon, waiting for their brothers and sisters to come. _We will bring you back into the light. We swear._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Mack, Cooke and Jansen have arrived at the centre of the crater. To their surprise a round table made out of gold sprouts from the earth, standing above at the edge of the crater they didn’t see it. The table is made out of solid gold. Looking closer they can see thin lines of silver and bronze through the gold, almost like blood veins. Running a hand on the surface Jansen feels how smooth the table is, whoever made this, this is a piece of real craftsmanship.

 

The tree spread around the golden table and Mack and Cooke are emptying their backs. Twenty oval gems, as large as a balled fist, are spread over the table. The colors range from red to green to purple. Eighteen of the gems are lying in a large circle, the other two gemstones, the Tiger’s eye and the Amber are lying on the side. These are the stones connected to Odin and Gilgamesh, they don’t need them. Not as long as the two Guardians are on their side. Mack puts those two stones in his pocket and together the three of them wait for the arrival of the magic engine. Sed and Tolten are already halfway the crater, but with the engine being held between them they are moving even slower then they did before.

 

When Sed and Tolten join their little group all the mortals are standing in the crater, while the immortals stand at the edge of it. Waiting tensely for the Guardians to attack.

 

Sed and Tolten lift the magic engine on the table and put it in the circle of the gemstones. Sed lifts the first gemstone carefully above the engine, as if on command a slot appears. Surprised Sed holds his movement, _that wasn’t there before,_ he thinks and he looks questionable at the others.

They also didn’t see that slot before, each of them shrugs their shoulders as to say, _try to put it in,_ so he puts the gem in the slot, and it is a perfect fit. He takes a step back and looks at the three magic users, “bring it on.”

 

The wind begins to rush when Cooke, Mack and Jansen transfer magic into the Ruby. With their combined power the Ruby begins to glow softly. Sweat begins to form on Jansen’s forehead and with one final magic surge they have contained their first Guardian. A blinding white light shines for only a seconds before the gems turns back to it’s original color, a black smoke swirls inside the gem.

 

Cooke, Mack and Jansen are breathing heavily. They did contain the first Guardian, but they are already exhausted from just containing one, they need to contain at least seventeen more.

 

“We need more magic power,” Sed said frustrated, “I will get Sarah and Ming, they need to help us here.” Sed runs back up the slope, not paying much attention about his own safety.

 

Tolten has given everyone some water to drink and he has put the next gem in the slot, this time the purple Sugilite. And the process starts from the beginning again.

_One down, seventeen to go._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Carbuncle is no more.” Odin has returned from the coast with bad news, “the others are coming.”

 

Sarah nods her head, she too has felt them coming. Luckily for them the Guardians are spread around the world, so it will take some time for all of them to get here, but still there are a few nearby.

 

Odin, Kaim and Seth make their way over to Gilgamesh, together they will make their final stance here. Guardian and Immortal next to each other, coming from the same world, together they will protect this world which is not their home world.

 

Ming spotted Sed running up the slope and she calls for Sarah, both woman make their way to Sed when he finally reached the top. “We need your help down there.” Sed has his hand on his knees and is taking a few deep breaths before continuing. “We need more magic power. It is going too slowly”

 

Ming and Sarah waste no time, the two most powerful magic casters make their way down. The others will have to take care of the Guardians, they are needed in the slope.

 

When they are almost near the centre they see a bright flash of white light illuminate the sky before it disappears. “They must have contained another one.” Ming said, slightly out of breath.

 

Reaching the centre they can see Tolten put another stone in the engine, Sarah recognizes it as an Topaz. The two woman take their place next to the others around the table, their hands stretch out towards the engine they too transfer their magic into the stone.

 

Even with the help of Sarah and Ming it takes sometime for the gemstone to fill. _We are never going to make it,_ Tolten thinks when he looks at his friends, except for Sarah and Ming they are all clearly exhausted. Extracting magic from their surroundings is hard, but they will have to do it if they want to win. A flash of light and Tolten puts the next gemstone, a Peridot, in the slot. _I hope the others can hold them back long enough._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How many?” Kaim asks Gilgamesh when he dodges an attack from the three headed dog _Cerberus,_ Kaim remembered his name is.

 

“Three.” Gilgamesh didn’t need to ask what Kaim mend, _how many have been contained?_ Along with Carbuncle, _he has always been the weakest of us all, but I have learned to never underestimate his power,_ Pandemona _I never knew what she was thinking,_ and Ifrit _I am glad I don’t have to fight him, he_ is _strong._ Slashing one of his swords he almost cut off one of Cerberus heads, it was only for his quick reflexes that he still has three of them. He grabs his second sword and begins his offense. Kaim follows his example and together they attack, trying to take Cerberus out from two sides.

 

Odin and Seth are trying to hit Cactuar, but so far they have not hit him once. The little green Guardian has great speed and takes his advantage with it, it looks more like a cat and mouse game then a real fight. Sed too tried to get a shot, but he realized he can never hit him so he made his way to Kaim, _surely I must be able to hit one of his heads,_ he aims and shoots. It was a clear shot and Cerberus was hit in the leg, but it doesn’t bother him. Before he is ready to take another shot he is mesmerized by a mysterious voice. The beautiful woman he encountered before is back and is luring him in her trap again. He drops his gun to the floor and stumbles towards Siren.

 

“Stop!” Seth screams and Sed is brought back to the presence. He sees his mother make a fatal strike at Siren only for Siren to sidestep the attack and punch her hand in Seth stomach. Seth grunts and kicks Siren away. “Don’t you touch my boy!” Siren falls through some debris, standing up slowly she dust herself off and makes her way to Seth again. The two woman are having a silent conservation which Sed can’t hear. He knows he should stay away from this woman and leaves his mother to take care of it. Looking to his left he sees Odin who is trying to stomp Cactuar with Sleipnir’s giant hooves. On his right Kaim and Gilgamesh are trying to sever one of Cerberus heads.

 

He heard a shrill cry. Looking up he was just in time to avoid Quezacotl’s attack. Rolling down on the ground he grabs his gun he had dropped earlier, he sits on one knee and shoots. He hears Quezacotl’s scream in pain, but that doesn’t stop the bird from attacking again. He flies straight up to Sed, this time he can’t avoid his attack. He closes his eyes and crosses his arms in front of his face thinking, _is this the end?_ He can feel the electricity sizzling in the air, Quezacotl’s must be close now. Thunder sears through Sed’s body but he remains standing, barely. But he never felt the impact. Opening his eyes he can see a flash of light in the distance but Quezacotl’s is nowhere in sight. _They have done it, the Guardian is contained._ He realize how lucky he is and how he probably will not survive the next Guardian if he has to fight them on his own. Seeing Kaim having some trouble he makes his way to him and Gilgamesh.

 

A new Guardian has joined their fight, the ice-woman Shiva. Sed takes a shot at her and Gilgamesh turns his head to see who took the shot. “It takes too long,” Sed yells to Gilgamesh. “Is there nothing else we can do?”

 

“Attach this on the magic engine,” Gilgamesh screams at Sed using his three swords to block a attack from Shiva and with his forth arm he throws a pitch black stone to Sed, “it’s a Dark Matter.”

 

Sed has heard about this Dark Matter. It is a stone with huge powers. It can absorb an enormous amount of magic, every last trace of magic will be gone in the area it is activated. Once the stone is activated there is no stopping it. Sed has the future of magic, or lack thereof, in the palm of his hands.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Six, they had contained six Guardians. _It is going to slow._ Tolten pushed the Aquamarine in the slot and takes a step back. _There must be something I can do._ But there was nothing Tolten can do. He is a fighter, a warrior, not a magic user. He feels hopeless, everyone was helping and all he had to do was put a gem in the engine. He sees his friends grow tired after each attempt they make and he tries to help them, but there is nothing he can do to ease their pain, except for giving them something to drink and eat, to keep their energy level up.

 

Ming came with the idea to take turns, so that after each ‘round’ someone could rest a little bit. It will take a bit longer to contain a Guardian, but that was a risk they were willing to take. It was Mack’s turn to take a break and he made full use of it. He lies on his side next to Tolten feet, his eyes are closed and Tolten hears him snore softly, _he really can sleep at anytime and through anything._

 

Tolten hears the sound of rock falling and looks up to see the source of it. He sees Sed running down the slope, a black stone in his hand. The rocks are rolling down the slope next to him, but none of them make it to the centre of the crater. When Sed is near he asks, “what’s wrong?” Anxiety creeps in his voice.

 

“Everything,” Sed walks up to Tolten and grabs his shoulder for support, the entire run down to slope has exhausted him. “This is our only chance,” he hands the Dark Matter to Mack who has woken up.

 

“What is it?”

 

“A Dark Matter,” Sed replied to Mack. “Put it in the engine,” Mack looks at him questionable, “give me that.” He grabs the stone from Mack and puts it in the machine himself. Immediately they can feel the power of the Dark Matter. They have the feeling as if someone is pulling all the magic out of them.

 

“What did you do?” Jansen asks through clenched teeth. “What is happening?”

 

“A Dark Matter.”

 

“What?” Sarah is shocked, “we need to get out of here.” Sarah waist no time and grabs Cooke and Mack’s by their hand. “Now.”

 

“What about the stones?” Tolten asks pointing to the unused stones.

 

“Put them all in the engine,” Ming knows what the power of this stone can do. If they are too close they could get killed by the huge amount of magic that will concentrate on this spot. She wonders how Sed could get such a rare and dangerous stone. She hopes his plan will work, for all of their sakes. “And leave.” Ming and Jansen too make their way out of the crater. Sed and Tolten are the only ones left.

 

Wasting no time they put all the unused gemstones in the magic engine, Except for the Amber and Tiger’s eye which Mack has still in his pocket. They can already feel the magic power manifesting itself in the Dark Matter.

 

When Tolten reached the edge he is shocked. Almost all the Guardians had made their way here. Everyone was facing two or more Guardians. They were barely holding their ground. Blood was seeping at more wounds then Tolten dares to count. Tolten looks to his right and sees that Sarah and Ming make their way to the fighting. Jansen, Mack and Cooke are trying to cast protective spells but it won’t work.

 

“The magic is gone,” Cooke said desperately. “There is nothing we can do.”

 

“There is,” Mack replied calmly. “We will fight,” he takes a deep breath, “or die trying.”

 

Moved by his words all of them grab their weapons and they run, either to their death or to victory, nobody knows.

 

Nobody cares.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The flapping of wings and a roar warned them of their first, _and probably last_ , opponent. Jansen holds his staff with both hands, he grabs them so tightly that his knuckles have turned white. Sed stands to his right, his gun ready to take a shot. On his left Tolten stands with his sword drawn. On Tolten’s other side Mack stands, ready to attack with his disk. Cooke stands slightly behind Mack, holding potions in her hands.

 

Bahamut spreads his wings and is ready to perform his ultimate move, which will kill them all in a instance. He roars, but the roar is not one from anger but of pain. Surprised they lower their weapons and with a bright flash of light he is gone.

 

“It is working,” Cooke runs to Mack and hugs him tightly.

 

One by one all the Guardians disappears. Until only Gilgamesh and Odin are the only Guardians left.

 

“We did it!”

 

Everyone had big smiles on their faces. Once again they had saved the world. And everyone had survived.

 

Suddenly the ground began to shake and everyone turned their head to the crater. A pillar of light reached to the sky.

 

“It is going to explode,” Ming stands up looking to the sky. She was tending to Seth’s wounds, who is still hissing in pain on the ground.

 

“What can we do?” Tolten asks to nobody in particular.

 

“You can do nothing,” Odin replied. He climbs on Sleipnir’s back. “But we can.”

 

“Can I have the stones.” Gilgamesh holds his hand up to Mack.

 

“Sure.” Mack drops the gemstones in his hands. “What are you going to do with it?”

 

“Save mankind.”

 

“How?”

 

The two Guardians don’t reply. They made their way to the crater, each of them holding their gemstone in the palm of their hands. They jump into the light, towards the source of it, the Dark Matter. At the moment the gems and Guardians touched the engine the Dark Matter explodes. Gilgamesh and Odin disappeared into their gemstones.

 

All the magic in the world was absorbed, including the Guardians, by the black stone but it was too much for the stone to hold. Most of the magic was transferred to the stones, which are lying near, but four streams of magic leak out of the Dark Matter. One small dark stream of magic disappeared into nothingness. Two of the magic streams fly in the direction of Ming and Sarah, it hit them both in the chest. The fourth spell fly in the direction of Cooke and Seth, but thanks to Seth’s quick reflexes both were unharmed, the spell fly’s past them.

 

“Sarah!”

 

“Ming!”

 

Both husbands make their way to their wives. They drop next to them and both are relieved to see that they are alright.

 

“I am fine,” Ming reassures her husband. “So is our child.”

 

“Let’s go home.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Sarah finished the story everyone was lost in his or her thoughts. It was a lot of information to take in, the history of the GF’s, what they have done to this world, of the people who had saved the world, twice. Mack, Sed, Cooke, Jansen, Sarah?

 

“Wait a minute,” Selphie breaks the silence, “you were talking about your own history?” Sarah nods her head. “How is that possible?”

 

“The are immortal,” Seifer replied sarcastically. “Didn’t you listen.”

 

He really shouldn’t have said that.

 

Everyone started speaking. Selphie was screaming at Seifer, Irvine was holding her back. Kiros and Laguna were bickering. Squall stood unmoving next to Ward. Zell, Quistis and Rinoa were firing questions at both Sarah and Ming. “Slow down.” Ming said angrily and everyone stops talking. “I know it is a lot to take in but would you please listen to us. There is more.”

 

“We are immortal, we have lived for thousands of years in this world. We came from another world, actually from a parallel universe.”

 

After some silence, everyone had to get used at the fact that Kaim, Ming and Sarah are the immortal they just heard about, Irvine asks, “and your children? Are they immortal too?”

 

“No they are not, they are born in this world and they must follow the rules of this world.”

 

“That’s terrible.” Ellone said with her hand before her mouth. “To see your children grow old and...” she can’t end her sentence, knowing her mother will see her die is to much for her to bear. A single tear runs down her cheek, Laguna throws his arm around her shoulder and tugs her close, letting her cry on his shoulder.

 

Sarah swallows back her own tears and continued her story, “that group of people were called the Fated Ones. Some of you are direct descendents of them. You know that Ellone is mine daughter. Selphie is a descendent of both Mack and Cooke.”

 

“I don’t understand.” Selphie said. “How can I be related to both of them?”

 

“Your father is a direct descendent of Cooke, while your mother is from Mack, many generations apart.” Selphie is relieved to hear this answers, for only a moment she was afraid of _incest._

 

“Pfew.”

 

“Irvine is a descendent of Sed.” Irvine nods his head. He had already suspected so, like Irvine Sed was a great sharpshooter before him.

 

“Cool,” is all he said.

 

“Zell is related to Tolten.”

 

“No way.”

 

“You are Zell.” Ming replied. “You are of the royal bloodline of Uhra.”

 

Shock is written all over Zell’s face. To have heard the history of these people, and that _his_ ancestor was a great king. He never thought he would get to know anything about his family, now he knows who his ancestor is.

 

“And Quistis is a descendent of mine,” Ming said looking at Quistis “and Jansen.” A sad look passed her eyes before it disappears again. “Seifer is related to Gongora.”

 

Seifer shrugs his shoulders, “I already knew I had a bad family.” He acts as if he doesn’t care, but it _does_ hurt.

 

“And me?” Rinoa asks excited.

 

“I am sorry, but we don’t know. You are not a descendent of the Fated Ones.” Gloom spreads on Rinoa’s face, “but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need you. You _are_ important.”

 

“Yeah! We need you Rin.” Selphie said pointing her fist in the air.

 

After everyone has given Rinoa some encouraging words she said, “thanks guy’s.” She takes a seat next to Squall and holds his hand. “And what about Squall?”

 

“You know I am his father.” Laguna replied. There was no denying it for now for, Squall has found his father. “And Kaim is mine father.”

 

“Whatever.” Is all Squall is able to say. He has a father now, but also an grandfather who is immortal. It is a lot to take in.

 

“You are what we call the Children of Fate.” The next part Ming says to Rinoa “Even though you are not blood related to any of the Fated ones, you still are a child of fate.”

 

“Wait a minute.” Selphie said. “Didn’t you see that you two are Cooke’s and Mack’s grandparents?”

 

“We did.”

 

“So I am related to Sir Laguna and Squall.”

 

“I guess so,” Laguna sounded doubtfully.

 

“Booyaka,” Selphie cheers, “what should I call you Squall? Cousin?”

 

“Whatever.”

 

Laughter fills the room.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After the laughter had died down Quistis asks the question they all wanted to know the answer off. “What happened to the Guardians? They are the GF’s right? Why did they attack.”

 

“They are the same,” Ming answered. “The Guardians were angry, they saved the humans in this world and for their hard work they were trapped, they couldn’t leave the Guardian world, as we call it. The Guardian world used to be a beautiful world but with the Guardians fighting each other, nothing of that beauty was left. They envied the humus and they wanted revenge. Gongora simply fueled their anger.”

 

“How did they turn from Guardians to GF’s?” Squall asks Ming.

 

“After the Dark Matter exploded all that was left were the gemstones infused with the Guardians. All the magic in the world was gone, nobody was able to cast magic again. I have taken care of the Guardian stones for a long time. After most of mine bloodline had died by Adel’s hand, I gave the stones to dr. Odine. I hoped he could find a way to return the magic to the world. After most of the Blue Mage’s died there was nobody left with enough magic power to keep the sorceress in check. I hoped that when everyone could use magic again the power of the sorceress would decrease.”

 

Everyone had retaken their seats and are listening intensely to Ming’s story.

 

“Dr. Odine succeeded, he had created Para Magic. It was amazing to see other magic then my own again after so many years. He created the Junction System so normal people could cast magic again. After more experimenting he even found a way to junction the Guardian stones. I was afraid of the powers people would be able to command, I saw what the Guardians were able off and I took the stones away from dr. Odine, I hid them all over the world. Dr. Odine never said anything about losing his stones, he had already found himself a new toy, Ellone.”

 

Laguna punches the ground with his fist, “damn him.”

 

“It’s okay, uncle.” Ellone tries to soothe him. “It is all in the past.” A smile forms on her face when she said, “you always told me to live in the present, listen to your own advice. It is good.”

 

“You mentioned the Blue Mages again,” Seifer had always been intrigued by the stories about the Sorceress, their knights and the Blue Mages. “Where did they come from?”

 

Quistis too had wondered about it, if it wasn’t for Seifer she would have asked the question herself. Locking eyes with Seifer he nods his head as if saying, _you’re welcome._ Quistis can’t stop the graceful smile forming on her face.

 

“I am the first Blue Mage. After the Dark Matter exploded,” Ming paused and asks, “have you ever seen the Shockwave Pulse?”

 

“Yes, it is Quisty’s strongest magic,” Selphie answers.

 

“Well the Dark Matter and the Shockwave Pulse work in the same way, both absorb magic from there surroundings and use that magic to attack. When the Dark Matter exploded it looked just like the Shockwave Pulse. Sarah and I were hit with an enormous amount of magic. The magic infested inside us and I gained the power of blue magic while Sarah gained the power of dreams. My daughter Kristy inherited the same power I had, she was the second Blue Mage and her daughter inherited the powers from her, and so it goes on until Quistis. She is the last one.”

 

“What about the other two magic that escaped from the Dark Matter?” Selphie wonders. “What happened to them?”

 

“We didn’t find out until much later.” Sarah replied. “The magic that barely missed Cooke and Seth was the power of Sorcery, we think it was aimed at Seth. She is an immortal and we think if she got the power her children would inherit that power. Luckily for Seth and us she didn’t receive that power, nor did Cooke. The power of Sorcery is the only one out of four that is not passed on from mother to daughter or father to son.”

 

“And the last?” Seifer asks. His gut feeling tells him it must have something to do with him.

 

“It went to Gongora, he didn’t gain magic power. It is harsh to explain but Gongora is what we call a Dark Knight. A sorceress can choose between two Knights, Dark and White. If a Knight is chosen by the Sorceress and he has accepted his plight we call that one a White Knight. Squall is a White Knight. A Dark Knight has no choice, if the Sorceress chooses him he has no other choice then to do exactly as she commands. Seifer is a Dark Knight.”

 

“But how did I receive that power?” Seifer asks Sarah.

 

“Gongora had returned to earth to father a child at some time.” Sarah replied. “We don’t know when he went back and we never knew he was back so we think his stay on earth was short.”

 

The gang finally realize that Seifer is not to blame for anything he did. They know, but that doesn’t mean they will forgive him right away. There will always be some bad blood between time. _Time will heal all wounds,_ Ming thinks.

 

“Have you ever returned to your own world?” Zell asks.

 

“I did.” Kaim said softly. “I returned with Seth to our home world. Together we searched for Gongora. We didn’t find him but we found out who helped him escape. You know her as Ultimecia, she is an Immortal too.”

“Ming and I stayed on this planet. If Gongora would return we would be able to stop him.”

 

“After ten years I returned to this world.” Kaim continues his story. “Seth remained in our world. We didn’t find Gongora. He wasn’t on our world and he wasn’t on this world. There was only one world left were he could hide, the Guardian world.”

 

“Kaim and I traveled between our two worlds, there had to be a way to get to the Guardian world. Together with Seth we search everywhere. Ming stayed behind in this world, watching over her family.” Sarah removes her glasses and wipes the glass clean with a handkerchief. “We traveled between worlds until fifty years ago. We don’t know how but the portal was destroyed, we were stuck in this world. We were separated…..” Sarah didn’t continue and nobody dared to ask what happened next.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Squall was rubbing his head, he knew he would have a headache before all this is over. Beside dealing with Seifer and his father he also had a lot of information to take in. “So why are we here? We defeated Ultimecia.”

 

“You didn’t,” is the blunt answer of Kaim, “she is still alive. She and Gongora are in the Guardian world. We figured out that we only can get to the Guardian world through Time Compression.”

 

“We all called you here,” Sarah fills in. “If we want to defeat Gongora and Ultimecia we need the full powers of the Guardians again. We need to reverse the process with which we contained them. We need the powers of the Dreamers, the Blue Mages, the Sorceress and the Dark Knight. That is the reason why you are all here.”

 

“I get why we are here.” Irvine said tipping his hat. “But how do we get in the Guardian world?”

 

“We got an old friend who will help us with that problem.”

 

“Real old friend,”Seifer said so softly only Squall heard him. Louder he ask “When will he be back?”

 

“Soon.” Kaim answered.

 

“Who will be back? Who is this friend of yours?” Selphie is rubbing her hands for warmth. She had been sitting on the cold floor for so long that she doesn’t feel her butt anymore.

 

After a long silence Seifer decides to give the answer, “Odin.”

 

“But he is dead,” Zell said angrily. “You killed him, remember?” After hearing that Odin saved his ancestor he is even more angrier at Seifer for killing him.

 

“By killing him I freed him,” Seifer replied as angry as Zell. “So you should thank me for giving us all the opportunity to finish this mess once and for all.”

 

“He is right Zell,” Quistis puts her hands on his shoulder and looks him in the eye. “We need everyone if we want to defeat Gongora and Ultimecia. We need Seifer too. I don’t like it anymore than you do, but we have a job to finish. Let’s finish this and get home. I don’t know about you but I really want to go back.”

 

A chorus of, “me too,” was heard. Everyone wants to go back home, but in order to get home they need to take one final obstacle.

 

“Hold on,” Rinoa said suddenly. “What happens when we transfer our powers into the Guardian stones, will we loose our powers?” Hope is flashing through Rinoa’s eyes. She desperately wants to get rid of the Sorceress power inside of her, but she doesn’t want to burden someone else with her powers.

 

“If everything goes according to plan you will lose the power of Sorcery,” Sarah smiled at Rinoa’s reaction, she is jumping from person to person giving everyone a quick hug. “The only magic left will be the Para Magic, which is nowhere as strong as the power of Sorceress or the Blue Mages.”

Finally Rinoa reached Sarah and she gives her a hug and a peck on her cheek.

 

“Thanks,” She said.

 

“Don’t thank me yet. We are not exactly sure if everything will go according to plan.”

 

The clicking sounds of hooves makes everyone turn their head to the newcomers, Odin and his faithful horse Sleipner. “Are you all ready?” His voice echoed through his helmet.

 

“We are,” Kaim replied. “This is the final battle. If we lose here everyone is lost, every single person in both of our worlds. Together we can destroy them.”

 

“Easy for you to say, you are Immortal.”

 

“Not in that world Squall,” Sarah replied. “In the Guardian World we can be killed.”

 

“Everyone grab onto someone, we need to form a circle. We need skin contact.” Everyone who still had gloves on removed them.

 

“What? I am not going to grabs any hands.”

 

“Shut up Seifer,” Zell said hotly. “Just grab it.” He holds his hand out for Seifer to grab it but he simple refuses. Before they will start another fight Quistis steps between them and grabs both of their hands. Ming grabs Seifer’s other hand and the circle is almost complete.

 

“Here we go,” Kaim said. He closes the circle and grabs Odine’s outstretched hand. Everyone has their eyes closed when they felt the magic lifting them up. When they open their eyes they see that they are standing in a field filled with flowers.

 

“It looks like the flower field near the orphanage,” Rinoa said what all of them were thinking. “This is the Guardian world?”

 

“It is,” Odin pets Sleipner’s neck.

 

“But where are the others?”

 

“In their stones.”

 

Selphie holds the Jaspis stone in the palm of her hands. “Well how do we get them out of this?” _Hold on Siren, we will get you out._

“Follow me.” Odin walks in front of the huge groups and slowly they make their way through the flower field. First everyone was reluctant to move through the flower field, afraid they would destroy this beauty, but after Odin’s said, “make haste.” the realized that they didn’t have another choice and but follow him.

 

“What is that?” Laguna ask when he points to the horizon. “Is that a pillar?”

 

“That is the Guardian wall. Our final destination.”

 

It was still a long walk to the pillar, when they were finally standing in front of it they realizes how large the pillar is. It rises all the way to the clouds. _It must reach heaven,_ Selphie thinks while craning her neck, trying to see the top of it.

 

Odin walks through the only entrance there is and everyone follows him. They walk in what looks like a big cave. Of every single Guardian there is a mural painting, there are even painting’s of Guardians they have never seen or heard of before. Next to each painting a hole is craved into the wall. It is a perfect fit for each of their gemstones. The only missing pieces are of the GF’s they command.

 

“Should we put the gemstones in the wall?” Irvine asks Odin. Odin nods his head and everyone walks over to the painting of the GF’s they hold. After all the gems are placed the mural paintings light up and a gold table raises from the ground. In the middle of the table a silver handprint is imbedded.

 

“Who goes first?” Odin asks the group of humans.

 

“I will,” Sarah replied. She walks over to the table and places her hand on the silver handprint. Sarah starts breathing heavily, transferring her powers to the stones takes a lot of energy. The stones glow softly on and of. After a few minutes Sarah falls to the ground exhausted. “It is done.” Kaim walks over to her and gently lifts her up.

 

Before anyone had a chance to ask who will go next Rinoa had already put her hand on the table, “finally I can get rid of these powers without harming someone else.” She hisses in pain but she remains standing. “It feels…empty,” she puts her hand to her chest and slowly makes her way over to Squall, “I am no longer a Sorceress.” A faint smile graces her face before she passes out.

 

“She will be fine Squall” Ming replies while she makes her way over to the table, “she is just exhausted.” With each magic infusion the stones glow brighter and brighter.

 

“Who goes next?” Irvine asks while he supports Ming.

 

When none of the woman reacts Seifer makes his way to the table, “guess that would be me.” The stones are flashing brightly and the dark swirl inside the gems disappeared. They are almost done, four down two to go. When he is ready he stumbles to the back of the cave and he slumps against the wall. “Next,” he mumbles before he closes his eyes.

 

Quistis and Ellone both walk over to the table, “may I go first?” Ellone asks trembling. For Ellone it is difficult to give up her powers. For the last year she had intensely tried to change the past, up till now she hadn’t succeed, but she knew that one day she would be able to change the past. She was going to make sure Laguna never leaves Raine side and that he will be there for her and his son. For her to give up her only chance to change everything is hard.

 

“Of course,” Quistis replied softly.

 

Ellone’s hand is shaking above the fingerprint, everyone is speaking encouraging words but they do not reach her ears. Slowly she descends her hand, it is almost touching the table when

 

_BAM!_

an explosion is heard. Ellone’s hand flies back up, everyone is looking around bewildered. Kaim is the first one to take action.

 

“Ellone and Quistis you stay here, you need to transfer your magic to the stones. Everyone else follow me.”  

 

Everyone makes their way to the entrance, all except Seifer and Rinoa. Although Sarah and Ming are in no condition to fight, they went anyway. Guarding the entrance.

 

“We will be fine,” Rinoa reassured Squall. She just regained conscious and she is on alert already. She knows the others will need Squall so she urges him to, “go.”

 

Reluctant Squall leaves Rinoa behind. She sits down with her back against the wall and she closes her eyes, she is still exhausted. Seifer does the same.

 

Ellone slams her hand on the table, but before her fingertips touch the table she is thrown backwards against the wall. She remains lying there unmoving. “Ellone!” Quistis screams and she runs to the older girl, she cradles Ellone’s head in her lap. _Thank Hyne she is breathing. But what happened?_ She looks around the cave, alert for any movement but she didn’t hear Rinoa’s warning or saw the hand aimed at the base of her neck. It was a swift strike and Quistis looses consciousness immediately.

 

“Ultimecia,” Rinoa growls, she slowly stands up and is ready to cast her most powerful magic…but nothing happens.

 

“Foolish girl,” Ultimecia grins wickedly. “You gave up that power, you truly are nothing more than a foolish girl.”

 

Shocked Rinoa can’t do anything but watch Ultimecia grabs both Ellone’s and Quistis by their arms and the three woman disappear. “I thought the Warp magic was instinct?”

 

“Who cares,” Seifer stumbles back to Rinoa, “we need them back.” Seifer continues his way to the entrance, “we need to warn the others.”

 

Rinoa nods her head but before they make it to the entrance Ming, Sarah and Selphie return. “We need the GF’s like right now,” Selphie yells.

 

“We have bigger problems,” Rinoa walks over to Selphie and puts both of her hands on her shoulders. “Ultimecia was here,” Rinoa swallows before continuing, “and she took Quisty and Ellone with her. We don’t know where they are.”

 

“Did they transfer their magic?” Ming asks. She grabs Sarah’s hand for comfort. Both woman lost their child, but there was nothing they could do about it, the only thing they can do is try to bring them back. Ming knows the only way to find them is with the help of the Guardians.

 

“No,” Rinoa shakes her head. “What are we going to do?” She hates to sound so desperate but she really doesn’t know what they need to do, what they can do to bring the Guardians back.

 

“We need the Guardians. We have to free them now.” Ming walks to the table and she gets a dark stone from her pocket.

 

“But are they strong enough?” Seifer said boldly. “Shouldn’t we find Quistis and Ellone first?”

 

Ming shakes her head and she puts the Dark Matter on the table. “If we want to find them alive we need the Guardians.”

 

All the gemstones starts to shine more brightly then before, the mural paintings light up and the ground begins to shake.

 

“We need to get out of here,” Selphie grabs Rinoa’s hand and drags her along.

 

They made it out of the cave mere seconds before it collapsed. All of them jumped out of the way of the falling rocks. Irvine saw them and made his way to them.

 

“What happened?” He looks at the group of people and realized that, “Quisty? Ellone?” are not with them.

 

“Ultimecia.” Selphie said while she helps Rinoa on her feet. “She took Quistis and Ellone with her before they could transfer their powers. We had no other choice than to complete the transfer. The GF’s are free.” A small smile forms on Selphie’s lip before it disappears again. “How is it going?”

 

“Bad.” Irvine helps Seifer on his feet and gives him a friendly clap on the shoulder. “We really need some help.”

 

Rinoa takes a deep breath and searches for Squall. What she sees scares her. The entire flower field is destroyed, there is not one single flower left. All that is left is barren ground. The one responsible for its destruction is Gongora. Kaim, Gilgamesh and Odin are fighting him, but even with three against one Gongora has no trouble defending himself. Squall, Zell, Kiros, Ward and Laguna form a large circle around the four fighting, now and then they cast a spell both offense and defense spells but it doesn’t make a difference.

 

“The Guardians are coming. They can take care of Gongora, we are going after Ultimecia.” Ming looks at everyone, she sees fear in their eyes but also courage and determination. Hope fills her chest, she knows they will do anything to bring their sisters back. _Although none of them are connected by blood, their hearts are connected. Together we can save them, together we_ will _save them. Even if it is the last thing that we will do._


	7. Chapter 7

When Quistis opens her eyes she sees something she didn’t think she would ever see again, a dozen pillars forming a circle around a throne, which stands on the middle on a plateau. _Ultimecia’s Master Room? How is that possible, I thought this place was destroyed?_ Ultimecia is nowhere to be seen but Ellone is lying on her stomach a few meters away from Quistis. She crawls to her and turns her around, relieved she is still breathing. Rubbing her hands until they are warm again she places her hands on Ellone’s head and chest, _“White wind,”_ she whispers. White magic spreads around the both of them and Ellone opens her eyes.

 

“Quisty,” with the help of Quistis she sits back upright. “Where are we?” She looks at the room and she only sees the beauty of this place.

 

“Ultimecia’s Master Room.” Ellone’s look went from awe straight to one of fear.

 

“How do we get back?”

 

“I don’t know. Can you stand?” Quistis offers Ellone her hand and she lifts her to her feet.

 

“I will be alright.”

 

“Okay, follow me.”

 

Ellone and Quistis make their way to the big doors. Ellone pulls the handle but it won’t budge. “It is locked.”

 

Quistis tries to move the handles but it doesn’t move one inch. Before she is able to say something a wicked voice echoes through the room.

 

“Of course it is locked. After all the trouble I went through to get you here? You are not going anywhere.”

 

Quistis pulls Ellone behind her and grabs her Save the Queen whispering “Stand back.” Quistis uncoils her whip and she is ready to strike. “We will see about that.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“It was a distraction,” Zell spits on the ground. “What are we going to do?”

 

“We’ll look for them.” Seifer replied

 

“How do we know where to look for them? Mister smart ass.” Zell is still anger after finding out that Quistis and Ellone have been kidnapped, by Ultimecia of all people.

 

Just a few minutes before, Gongora had suddenly fled the battle field, Odin and Gilgamesh had followed him. They were moving too fast for any of the humans to even try to keep up with them, so they let them leave. Now they had a little bit of time to regroup and take a rest. When the others found out about Quistis and Ellone missing they reacted badly.

 

“Gongora is probable heading towards Ultimecia,” Kaim replied calmly. “But with Odin and Gilgamesh trailing behind him I doubt he will go to her directly.”

 

“That means we still have a chance to beat him there,” Laguna said a little bit too cheerfully.

 

“We do,” Squall decided to ignore his father cheerfulness. He knows it was just the fear of losing Ellone, he shares that fear with him. “But we must act now.”

 

“You will do no such thing,” a voice roared from above them. All of them look up to see a giant dragon flying towards them.

 

“Bahamut?”

 

“Yes,” Bahamut roars and he lands on the earth. “We Guardians will help you. We will be able to find them.”

 

“Yes we want to help you!” Carbuncle appeared from behind Bahamut and they can see the other Guardians standing there too, some of them wave their hand or send them a smile, some of them just look grumpy and wonder why they are here.

 

“We don’t need their help,” A very grumpy Diablos said. “They will only be in my way.”

 

Shiva pinches him and walks to the group, “Ignore him, he is really cranky today.”

 

Squall heard Diablos grumble, _I am not_ , and that places a faint smile on his face.

 

“But I am afraid that this time you won’t be able to help,” Shiva continued.

 

“I will not leave my daughter behind,” Sarah said forcefully. “I will come with you.”

 

Nobody wanted to be left behind and they told the Guardians so. A lot of shouting and yelling took place before Bahamut roared

 

“STOP!”

 

His roar vibrated through the air and everyone stopped talking immediately.

 

“Alright,” Bahamut said when everyone was quiet, “Eden will take you to them.” The huge Guardian nods her head and she puts an encouraging smile on her face. Eden is the strongest of the Guardians but also the most inexperience if it comes to fighting, but she is the best Guardian able to protect the group of humans.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Quistis is having a hard time, not only is she fighting the only Sorceress left alive, who by the way is also an Immortal, but she also has to take care of Ellone. The only bright side is that Ultimecia doesn’t want them dead. _Yet,_ Quistis thinks, _but what does she want from us._ Ultimecia is sitting on her throne and Ellone is desperately trying to unlock the door behind her. “It won’t work Elle.”

 

Defeated Ellone drops her hands down, “I know,” but Ellone has to try, she promised herself never to feel that powerless again, but here she is not being able to protect herself. “I need to do something.”

 

“There must be another way,” Quistis whispers back, never leaving her eyes from Ultimecia. “Find it.”

Ellone walks along the walls, searching for a way out, while Quistis attacks Ultimecia.

 

Quistis swings her whip but Ultimecia can easily dodge it. Twirling on her feet she tries it again. The tip of her whip missed Ultimecia’s face just a few centimeters. Jumping back she cast a _Flare_ and at the same time she strikes again. Even this attack from two sides is easily dodged by Ultimecia. Everything Quistis throws at Ultimecia is easily dodged and avoided.

 

“Why won’t you fight back?” She asks frustrated.

 

Ultimecia looks shocked for just one second before her face slips back again. “As you wish.” She sprints towards Quistis and rams her elbows in Quistis’ stomach. All the breath is pushed out of Quistis’ lungs and Ultimecia cast a _Tornado_ spell towards her. Quistis is lifted in the air and pushed against the wall.

 

Spitting out blood she said, “Why don’t you just kill us?”

 

Ellone is surprised to hear Quistis say this, “Quisty don’t encourage her to kill us,” she whispers under her breath. Still searching for a way out.

 

“That is not part of the plan.”

 

“Plan? What plan?”

 

Quistis ignores Ellone, she stands up slowly and backs away from Ultimecia.

 

Ultimecia walks back to her throne and takes a seat, “I am the only Sorceress left, you are the last Blue Mage and she,” she points to Ellone “is the last Dreamer. We only need my Knight and we are complete again.”

 

“Complete?” Ellone slips to Quistis and offers her a potion which she gladly takes. “There is no other way out.” She whispers.

 

Quistis nods her head in acknowledgement. “What are you planning?”

 

“What I always wanted, I want to rule the world, after I destroy it.” She points her arm towards the two women, “and you will help me.”

 

“You are mad,” Quistis shakes her head. “We will never do such thing.”

 

“We shall see.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Odin and Gilgamesh are still chasing after Gongora, but they never got close enough to attack him. It was a game of cat and mouse but Gilgamesh wondered what they were, the cat or the mouse? Every time Gilgamesh thought they were getting closer, Gongora found some way to increase the distance again. It looks like he doesn’t even grow tired of all this running. “Will you stop it already,” Gilgamesh said frustrated.

 

Gilgamesh heard a voice in his head he hadn’t heard for a long time, ‘ _Need some help?’_

“Gladly,” knowing Ifrit he will make a spectacle of his entrance, and he certainly did.

 

Right in front of Gongora a huge wall of fire reaches to the sky. Gongora stopped just in time otherwise he would have been fried. Gongora slowly turns around, knowing Odin and Gilgamesh have finally caught up to him. “Took you long enough,” he said sarcastically.

 

Odin and Gilgamesh didn’t react to his worlds, they felt the other presences of their brother and sisters. Ifrit, Siren, Leviathan, Pandemona and the Brothers joins their fight.

 

“Brothers. Sisters.” Gilgamesh looks at every single one of them. “Welcome back.”

 

Each Guardian has a grin on their face, their final revenge is near.

 

“Attack.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ellone is sitting in the corner of the room, shivering in fear. “What is she going to do with us Quisty?”

 

Quistis shrugs her shoulders, she doesn’t know what Ultimecia is going to do with them. She stands protectively before Ellone, following every move of Ultimecia. So far she hasn’t attacked them again, in fact she hasn’t done anything. She is just sitting on her throne with her eyes closed, it looks like she is dreaming, her eyes move rapidly under her eyelids. _What is happening? Where are the others? Please hurry._

 

Suddenly Ultimecia’s eyes flew open and she looks angry. She stands up and moves briskly to the two women. She grabs Quistis by the neck and throws her to the other side of the room. Quistis turns in the air, she had suspected Ultimecia would try to remove her from Ellone’s side and she lands on her hands and knees. She rushes back to Ultimecia with her whip ready in her hand. But she is too late. For Quistis it looks like everything is happening in slow motion. Ultimecia reaches her hand to Ellone but before she is able to grab the trembling girl a wall of ice separates them. _Shiva?_ Quistis sees the ice guardian standing next to Ellone, both are protected by the large wall of ice.

 

Looking around the Master Room she can see other Guardians standing in a large circle, Cactuar, Diablos, Tonberry, Quetzacotl and even Bahamut is there. Hope rises in her chest again, together with the Guardians they must be able to defeat Ultimecia.

 

Shiva snaps her finger and the wall of ice disappears. Ellone makes her way to Quistis and Ultimecia walks back to her throne. “So this is it?” she wonders out loud. “This is the end?”

 

“This is the end for you.” Diablos replies angry before he attacks.

 

All the Guardians put themselves in the fight. Only Shiva stays out of the fight, she is watching over Quistis and Ellone. “Blue Mage?” her voice sounds as cold as her attacks.

 

“Yes?” Quistis looks to the mighty Guardian, standing next to them she truly looks magnificent.

 

“We will need your help. When I give you the sign you will need to cast your Blue Magic; _Shockwave Pulse_. Do not be afraid to harm us, we will be fine.”

 

Quistis nods her head, she is not too happy that she will have to cast her strongest spell while she can hurt the Guardians but she will do as she is told.

 

“Good. It won’t be long now. Be ready.” Shiva said and she enters the fight.

 

“What is the sign Quisty?” Ellone asks. She is feeling much better after the unexpected arrival of the Guardians. She knows they will be alright now.

 

“I don’t know.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How much longer?” Selphie asks with a whiny voice.

 

“We are almost there little human,” Eden replied laughingly. “Don’t you see her castle?”

 

Selphie wants to reply something funny but before she can think of anything Irvine touches her elbow and said, “Look.” It feels like they were traveling back in time, before them the orphanage stands with Ultimecia’s castle floating above it.

 

“Ultimecia’s castle?”

 

“I am _so_ having a déjà vu,” Irvine mutters.

 

“This is as far as I can go with you,” the large Guardian said. “They are in the Master Room.” Eden flies towards the castle at full speed. The others will have to take the long walk along the chains.

 

“Here we go again,” Zell whispers and he makes his way to the first chain. The others follow behind him. “At least we know the way.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Gongora really didn’t stand any chance after the Guardian’s turned against him. He was the one who had brought them back to life thousand years ago. It wasn’t his fault that they were captured, if only his grand plans hadn’t failed he wouldn’t be here right now. He would control these Guardians who are fighting against him and he would rule the world, with Ultimecia at his side.

_I guess this is the end._

 

Eight against one, although he _is_ strong he is clearly outnumbered. But it is not his style to die without a good fight, so he will do his best to at least give them that. He still has one trick on his sleeve, and now is the time to use it.

 

Gongora stretches his body and a large purple magic sphere is floating above him. It flies to the sky and the clouds turn a purple-grey. Thunder flashes through the clouds. The sky flashes a bright purple light and hundreds of meteors fall down from the sky.

_Meteor Impact_

There were too many meteors falling from the sky, the Guardians couldn’t avoid all of them. Every single one has taken multiple hits.

 

The meteors strike the earth and large holes are created. The Guardians are nowhere to be seen.

“That was too easy,” Gongora grins. He can’t believe he actually did it, he destroyed the Guardians. He is ready to depart to his lover when he hears one of the Guardians cough.

 

“It is not over jet.”

 

One by one the Guardians drag themselves up from under the meteors. Ifrit holds the meteor which hit him in his pawns and throws it at Gongora. Gongora drops on the floor and the meteor just misses his head by centimeters.

 

Once again Gongora is surrounded. He knows this is the end for him, there is nothing more he can do, and his last attack was the strongest move he has. If that doesn’t kill them he thinks nothing will. Gongora closes his eyes and spreads his arms wide, in a sign of defeat.

 

 _It was fun while it lasted. I…._ Gongora couldn’t think anymore. He was dead. Killed by the same creatures that he had given back their life, and whom he had controlled shortly, so many years ago.

 

Seven ultimate moves of the Guardians. No one can survive that.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“NO!” Ultimecia clutches her heart and the hate and anger has multiplied in her eyes. “You killed him. You will pay for that.” Without her knight she can’t control the immense amount of power she holds. As the only Sorceress left she is the strongest caster from this universe, and she intends to show that to this lousily Guardians and their human pets. She blocks and dodges every attack and slowly she makes her way to her throne. Standing on top of the pedestal she stands before her throne. She twist her arms and while she does that strange patterns glow on the floor. Each Guardian is standing on a pattern, too late they realized what Ultimecia is planning.

 

_“Hell’s Judgement.”_

 

A purple, red, pink light shines from the patterns and the energy of all the Guardians is drained. Each one has little energy left, but it isn’t enough if they want to defeat Ultimecia.

 

“No way,” Cactuar chirps. He is standing next to Shiva who is down on her knees breathing hard. “What will we do.”

 

“We will do everything in our powers to stop her,” Shiva looks coldly at Ultimecia. “She cannot win.”

 

Ultimecia is laughing wickedly up on her pedestal. Slowly her powers are consuming her from the inside. She really is a vessel for the powers within her. It won’t take long before she loses control completely.

 

Quistis runs to Shiva and cast, _“White Wind.”_ Quistis has healed all the Guardians with one spell, but their level of energy is nowhere as high as Ultimecia’s. Shiva thanks Quistis briefly and tells her to stay back again.

 

“Bahamut,” Diablos called the great dragon. “Can we finish it now?” The last came out pretty bored.

 

“Yes. It is time,” the dragon roared and he flies to the sky. _“Mega Flare.”_

 

The sky turns dark and Diablos shouts, _“Dark Messenger.”_

 

Ice covers the floor _“Diamond Dust.”_ Shiva whispers coldly _._

The chirpy voice of Cactuar almost sings _“Thousand Needles.”_

 

The other Guardians voice are mixed together, performing their ultimate move.

 

The last voice Ultimecia heard is the one of Eden, _“Eternal Breath.”_

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Hurry guys, I feel something _big_ is about to happen,” Selphie yelled over her shoulders, not slowing down her pace.

 

Their walk along the chains went rather quick, and inside the castle they hadn’t seen a soul. When they were inside the great clock tower they could feel the magic sizzling through the air. Everyone was running as fast as they could, but when they reached the ladder they had to climb down one at a time. They could see lights flashing from Ultimecia’s Master Room.

 

“Are Quisty and Elle in there?” Irvine is still standing at the platform, he and Kiros are the last to climb down.

 

“They must be, otherwise Eden wouldn’t have told us to come here.”

 

Irvine nods his head and climbs down the ladder, Kiros follows him swiftly. When they are down he can see Selphie dancing on the balls of her feet. “Let’s go,” Irvine said and he grabs Selphie’s hand and walk towards the Master’s room. Before they are even halfway they are stopped by the smallest Guardian they know.

 

“Carbuncle!” Selphie said surprised.

 

“You can’t go in,” Carbuncle’s said with a high voice. “It is too dangerous.”

 

“But aren’t Ellone and Quistis inside?” Squall asks angrily.

 

“They are,” Siren stands next to Carbuncle and puts her hand on his head.

 

“Why didn’t you take them here? It is much safer here than it is in there, right?” Laguna said frustrated, pointing with his arm back and forth. “My little Elle is no fighter, she doesn’t know what to do in a fight.”

 

“I promise you nothing bad will happen to her,” Siren’s voice sooths Laguna. “I wanted to bring her here to safety, but she wouldn’t leave Quistis side.”

 

“So bring Quistis along too, it can’t be that hard.”

 

“Well it is,” Carbuncle replied. “We need her.”

 

“What for?” Rinoa asks. “What does she need to do that you Guardians can’t?”

 

“She must destroy the Sorceress power.”

 

“Hold it right there lady.” Seifer intervened. “If they are the only two women near Ultimecia and if she dies, the Sorceress power will transfer to one of them.

 

“No it won’t,” Siren said softly. “They are the only two women who can never become a Sorceress. For that they are more safe than your other female companion.

 

Selphie and Rinoa look at each other and they think the same. “We will stay,” Rinoa said for both of them and she grabs Squall’s hand. “I want to know if Quistis and Ellone are safe, but I don’t want to risk getting the Sorceress power back again. I won’t.”

 

“The same goes for me.” Selphie replied. “You can go, but we will stay behind.”

 

Ming and Sarah are in doubt about what they should do, either they stay or they go. What if they go and they risk the only chance they will ever have at destroying the Sorceress powers. On the other hand they need to see with their own eyes that the girls are alright. Before they can make the decision it is already made for them.

 

“You stay,” Kaim grabs both women by the arm. “The risk is too large.”

 

The flashes get brighter and they appear more often.

 

“I have to go,” Squall said and looks Rinoa in the eye. “They are my sisters, I need to know if they are okay.”

 

“Then go Squall.” Rinoa let go of his hand. “I’ll wait here. I promise.”

 

Squall grabs his revolver and makes his way to the Master’s room. All the men follow. Squall opens the double doors and he is shocked at what he sees.

 

_They did it._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Why didn’t you leave with Siren and Carbuncle?”

 

“I didn’t want to leave you,” Ellone replied. “We are family, you don’t leave family behind. Especially when they need you.”

 

Quistis is touched by Ellone’s words, but she rather had that Ellone did leave. She still had her doubts that she can save them all. If even the Guardians can’t defeat Ultimecia how can she? Just moments before she had to save them from Ultimecia’s strongest attack, it was thanks to her Blue Magic that none of the Guardians died, but how long will they be able to hold on?

 

“Bahamut,” she hears Diablos call the great dragon. “Can we finish it now?”

 

 _Finally_ Quistis thinks, she turns around to Ellone and gives her a tight hug.

 

“What is that for?” Ellone asks bemused.

 

“For being here,” Quistis hugs her even closer. “For being my sister.” A single tear streams down her cheek when she pushes Ellone away. “This is the sign.”

 

She doesn’t need to say more, Ellone knows what Quistis means. She wants to say some encouraging words to her, but it feels like her lips are sealed, nothing comes out of her mouth.

The wind begins to blow, ice covers the wall and floor, darkness surrounds them. Ellone is scared at this display of powers from the Guardians. “Be careful Quisty,” she whispers to Quistis’ back.

 

Quistis stands behind one of the pillars, waiting for the right time to strike. Every Guardian present is performing his or hers ultimate move. Quistis knows Ultimecia can’t survive that blast. Something clicked in her mind and Quistis knows what to do. If the Guardians defeat Ultimecia they still have the problem with the Sorceress’ magic. The nearest woman will become the next Sorceress. To prevent that of happening they need to destroy it. The only way to do that is with _her_ ultimate move. After hearing the story from Ming about the Dark Matter she figured out that her Shockwave Pulse works the same way. It gathers the magic from around the place it is cast and it will transfer the magic into another universe. That is the only way they can get rid of the Sorceress powers once and for all. All Quistis has to do is look for the magic and cast her spell.

 

_“Eternal Breath.”_

 

Quistis hears the loud voice of Eden. When the light has depleted she sees Ultimecia lying on her throne, exhausted. “So this is it. The end for me,” Ultimecia’s whispers. Quistis sees the Sorcery magic leaving her body and it makes a beeline for the door. _Ellone!_ Quistis steps away from the pillar, she stretches her arms in front of her and screams _, “Shockwave Pillar.”_

 

The Sorceress’ magic is trapped in her spell and is transported to another universe where it can do no harm.

 

Exhausted from all the emotion and from casting her strongest spell she falls down on her knees. Ellone rushes over to her with a big smile on her face. “You did it,” Ellone said and she hugs her tightly.

 

“We sure did,” Quistis eyelids slowly drops. “I think I will sle...” Before she even finish her sentence she is already fast asleep.

 

“Sleep tight.” Ellone said while placing a kiss on Quistis’ forehead.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Squall steps over the threshold and is amazed at what he sees. Almost all the Guardians are present in the Master’s room. The room is almost to small to house them all. They are all standing in a small circle, but what they are looking at he can’t see.

 

“Where are they?” Squall asks Siren who stands next to him.

 

Siren said nothing but made a hand motion for him to follow her. When the other Guardians see who are approaching they make room for them to pass. Ellone is sitting on the ground with Quistis’ head in her lap. Squall rushes over to them and drops on the floor next to them. “Are you alright. Is Quistis alright?”

 

Ellone is surprised to see Squall act like this. Before they went into Time Compression he was a total different person, he never showed his emotions. But here he is sitting next to Quistis and cradling her hand. “She is fine,” Ellone smiles and puts her hand on Squall’s shoulder. “She is just exhausted. Nothing a little sleep wont cure. ”

 

Squall stands up and lifts Quistis in his arms bridal style. “Let’s go. The others are waiting.” Squall needs to adjust to Quistis weight and after he is certain he has a good grip he walks away, Ellone following close behind him.

 

“Elle.” Ellone looks up to her uncle running up to her and she prepares herself for the hug that is coming. Laguna lifts Ellone in the air and swings her around.

 

“You are okay,” Laguna is laughing happily.

 

Ellone too is laughing when she said, “Please let me down.” When Ellone feels steady ground under her feet again she lets out the breath she was holding and smiles. “I am so glad everybody is fine.”

 

“Me too,” Laguna said but when he looks at his son and the woman he holds in his arm, the fear creeps back in his chest. “Is she alright?”

 

“Quisty is fine uncle, just exhausted.”

 

Laguna is relieved to hear that she will be okay.

 

They make their way to the others, all of them lost in their thoughts until they were abruptly woken by Selphie’s scream.

 

“Quisty.” Selphie and Rinoa run to Squall to check on their friend. “Is she okay Squall.”

 

Before Squall has a chance to answer Ming touches her hand on Quistis face. “She will be fine.”

 

Relieve pass through Rinoa and Selphie and they make their way over to Ellone.

 

Ming looks past Squall and sees the Guardians standing behind them, keeping their distance.

 

 _Thank you_ , she mouthed.

 

Shiva places her hand above her heart and nods her head slightly down. _You are welcome._

 

After everyone had exchange hugs and reassuring words that everyone is fine they made their way home. Their way back through the castle took some time, especially with the unconscious Quistis but thankfully they had Ward, he has carried her almost the whole time.

 

Zell was the last to hop of from the chains, “let’s hope we will never see this place again.”

 

“You won’t.” Eden said.

Zell wanted to ask her why but when he looks back at the castle he sees he will never see this place again. It is already gone.

 

“Wow,” Irvine whistles.

 

They remain standing on the beach for some time, looking at the sky. With the castle gone from the sky and the clouds disappearing, a blue sky is all that is left. All of them were staring at the sky, nobody noticed the other Guardians joining their brothers and sisters.

 

“Huh?” Selphie rubs the back of her head. “When did you get here?”

 

Ignoring Selphie’s question Gilgamesh stated, “this is where we say goodbye.”

 

Selphie looks around the group of Guardians and sees an unknown woman standing between them. “Who are you?”

 

The woman turns around and waves at Selphie “The name is Seth. Nice to meet ya.”

 

Irvine is dumb folded, his great-great-great he doesn’t know how many greats, grandmother stands there.

 

“Hiya.” Seth makes the way to their group and stands before Irvine. “So this is mine famous descendent.” She walks around him, checking him from all angles. “Good,” she laughs and hits him on the back.

 

For once in his life Irvine doesn’t know what to say.

 

Seth had made her way to her fellow Immortals. “You have been called back.” They didn’t need to ask what Seth meant, they know. Their time has come to an end in this world, they need to return to their own.

 

“What does she mean mom?”

 

Sarah grabs Ellone’s hand “We need to go back to our own world.”

 

“Won’t you come back?”

 

“We can’t, we don’t belong here.” Sarah wipes Ellone’s tears away. “You need to be strong sweetheart. I will always watch over you.”

 

“But,” Ellone begins, her voice stutters.

 

“Shh,” Sarah comforts her daughter. “Remember that I will always love you, and I will never forget you.”

 

“Will I ever see you again?”

 

“Of course you will. It may take years but we will see each other again.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“I’ll find you. I promise.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Quistis feels comfortable. She hadn’t rested this good in a long time. Turning on her side her hand is touching something, _sand?_ Opening her eyes she sees she is lying on a beach. Not just any beach, she is resting on _their_ beach near the orphanage.

 

“So sleepy beauty finally decided to wake up.”

 

Quistis sits upright at his voice, “Seifer?”

 

“In the flesh.”

 

“What happened?” Looking around, confused, she sees the others are standing near the lighthouse. Along with the Guardians and the immortals.

 

“We did it,” Seifer replied happily. “We saved the world. Well the Guardians and you did most of the work, but still.”

 

Quistis is glad that Seifer is so happy, she can’t remember having seen him that happy before, not even at the orphanage.

 

Seifer reaches Quistis his hand and helps her on her feet. “You woke up just in time. Everyone is saying goodbye.”

 

“Goodbye?” Quistis stops abruptly. “How long was I out?”

 

Seifer stops and turns around, in a few steps he stands next to her again. “Only for a few hours. The Guardians and Sarah, Kaim and Ming are going to return to their own world. You know that other immortal Seth?” Quistis nods her head, she remembers her. “She just arrived here an hour ago. They all have to return to their own world. The bottom line is that without the Immortals in this world, Time Compression can never be achieved again.”

                           

Quistis has the feeling her head is about to explode, so much has happened in such a small period of time. She hasn’t had the opportunity to think about everything that happened. Just a day ago Seifer was her enemy, but here he is looking over her just like a friend _. Since when do I see him as my friend?_ Quistis grabs Seifer hands and drags him along. “Let’s go, I want to say goodbye too.”

 

Reaching her friends and family Selphie is the first one to notice her. “Quisty,” She runs over to her and they hug. “You are awake.”

 

“Yes I am.” Quistis smiles when she sees her other friends, “hi guys.”

 

Everyone either said hi back or waved their hand at her.

 

“You made it just in time,” Selphie releases Quistis from her hug. “There are some people who want to say goodbye.” Selphie pushes Quistis in the direction of Ming. Ming was having a conversation with Shiva when Quistis intervened.

 

“You are leaving too?”

 

“Yes I am.” Ming squeezes her hand. “I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you.” Ming embraces her descendent.

 

“Thank you.” Quistis replied. “I am curious though. If Ellone and I had transferred our powers to the Guardian stones, what would have happened to the Sorcery powers?”

 

“That is a good question.” Shiva puts her hand on her hip. “On which even I would like to hear the answer.” She looks to Ming, waiting for her answer.

 

“Don’t look at me Shiva, I told you I don’t know.” Turning to Quistis she said. “Odin only told me that the Sorceress powers would be destroyed, he didn’t explain to me how, nor did I ask.”

 

Ming spoke the truth, she doesn’t know. And nobody on earth will ever know. Maybe it was fate or maybe it was luck but the fact is that the Sorcery magic is gone.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It was a sad goodbye. They all remember the first time they made contact with these mighty creatures. The first time they junctioned a GF, to have fought alongside each other. If it wasn’t for the Guardians none of them would be standing here today, they have helped them out from a tight spot more than once. The mighty bird Quezacotl with his powerful thunder magic. Shiva the ice queen, it took some time to get to know her but when they did they saw the kind woman beneath the ice. Ifrit the fire demon, a strong ally to have at your side, never afraid to come to their aid. The Brothers, stand fast as the earth.

 

“Earth to Squall.”

 

Squall is put out of his thoughts by Zell. “What?”

 

“Shouldn’t you say goodbye to Kaim?” Rinoa said with her arms crossed “He is your grandfather.”

 

“Whatever,” Squall mumbles, but he does make his way to his father and grandfather.

 

“There he is,” Laguna puts his arm on Squall’s shoulder but Squall shrugs him off immediately. “What were you brooding about?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Come on son tell me, you know you can tell me anything.”

 

Squall ignores his father and turns his attention to his grandfather. “Thank you,” he said while he holds his hand out to Kaim, “and goodbye.” Squall has never been good at saying goodbye.

 

Kaim shakes Squall’s hand. “Give your father a chance,” he said so softly only Squall heard him.

 

Reluctantly Squall nods his head, “I will.” He know he is lucky to still have his father, with the exception of Rinoa all of them have lost their parents. Rinoa told him to treasure the one he still has. And he will, but it will take some time getting used to cal Laguna, _dad._

 

“Zell,” Kaim calls the blond man. When Zell stands before him he said, “here.”

 

“What is this?”

 

“It’s Tolten’s sword, the _age of the King_.” Kaim hands Zell the sword. “It’s your legacy.”

 

“Thanks,” Zell said with awe. He touches the sword without taking it from Kaim. “But don’t you need it anymore? You have used this sword for so long.”

 

“I have no need for it anymore.” Kaim releases his hold on the sword, “it should stay in this world. Tolten would want it to stay in his family.”

 

Zell had some trouble adjusting to this new weight in his hand but he gained his balance back quickly, “but I am a martial artist, I am no good with a sword.”

 

“I’ll help,” Squall offers, “I’ll teach you.”

 

“You would?” A big smile appears on Zell’s voice “Thanks Squall.” He grabs Squall’s hand with both of his and shakes it wildly. “You’re the best!”

 

Releasing his hands from Zell’s wild handshake he said, “whatever.” Zell skipped away happily with his sword to show the others and Squall mumbles softly “You’re welcome” A smile graces his face.

 

W _hat else are friends for?_

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Do you really need to go so soon?” Selphie said with a childlike voice “You just got here.”

 

“Selphie please,” Siren begins but is intervened by Selphie.

 

“Irvy hasn’t even got the chance to get to know you.” She points to Seth who is sitting next to Siren on a rock, skipping stones in the ocean.

 

“I shouldn’t even be here,” she jumps off the rock and lands next to Selphie “But it was worth it, to see all of you. To even catch a glimpse of my great-something-grandson is enough for me.”

 

Selphie is feeling both glad and sad. Glad to have met Irvine’s ancestor but also sad they only have so little time together.

 

“It is alright Selph,” Irvine hugs Selphie from behind, his chin is resting on her shoulder. “I saw her. That is good enough for me.”

 

Selphie turns around in his arms and gives him a kiss on the lips, “then that is good enough for me too.”

 

“So he does have taste too,” Seth laughs. Irvine and Selphie break away from their kiss embarrassed.

 

Siren too is laughing silently next to Seth. Leviathan too has a big grin on his face, splashing his tail on the water he hits something. “What’s that?” he asks.

 

Seth looks at the great serpent and answered, “Our way home.”

 

A white marble archway hangs above the ocean, almost as big as a house with water still dripping from the structure. The doors open and a blinding light flows out of the archway. When the light has dimmed they see a silver stairway.

 

All the Guardians make their way to the stairs, they are drawn to the world they were created in. No words were said, none needed to be spoken.

 

One by one the Guardians leave this world and return to their own. A world they can roam freely without feeling the fear of getting capture again. Odin is the last to leave, he turns to Seifer and places his balled fist above his chest and nods his head slightly, _thank you_. He puts his helmet back on, Sleipner prances one more time and they too walk through the door and disappear in the white light.

 

Sarah and Kaim are the next to walk to the stair. Sarah’s tears have dried on her cheek and her eyes are red from crying. It is hard for Sarah to leave her daughter behind, she had almost been absent in Ellone’s entire life and when they finally found each other again they are ripped apart. She knows it is partly her own fault, but no matter what it simply _hurts._ She grabs Kaim’s hand for support and looks back at her daughter one the last time. She sees the happy face of Ellone and that gives her the strength to continue.

 

With the knowledge that she will see her mother again, _she promised_ , Ellone can put a smile on her face. She wants her mother to remember her happy, not sad. Laguna stands next to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. He doesn’t have to say anything, he feels the same way she does. His father too had been absent in his life for the most time, but last year they saw each other frequently. With his other hand he waves to his father. Kaim nods his head and together with Sarah he walks into the white light.

 

Seth is already halfway the stairs before she notices that Ming isn’t walking behind her. “Let’s go Ming,” she shouts to her friend.

 

“One more minute Seth,” Ming replied “I’ll be right behind you.”

 

“Okay,” Seth walks father on the stairs when she reaches the light she looks back at the group standing on the beach, “See ya!” she shouts and then she too is gone.

 

Ming stands before Quistis, looking in her clear blue eyes, “You look so much as my Kristy.” She puts a strand of Quistis blond hear behind her ear. “So beautiful, kind and smart.” She places both her hands on her face and places a kiss on her forehead. “I love you,” slowly she ascends the stairs and without looking back she walks straight into the white light.

 

_I love you too._

 


	8. Chapter 8

 After Ming walked through the archway the doors closed, the silver stair disappeared and the archway self submerged into the ocean again.

 

Everyone was staring silently to where their allies, friends and family disappeared through. The silent was finally broken by Seifer’s grunt voice.

 

“Shit.”

 

Irvine was standing next to him, his hand on his hip, “what?”

 

“They didn’t tell us how _we_ get home.”

 

_Shit indeed_ , Irvine thinks. Everyone looks at each other, expecting one of them knows, _hoping_ one of them knows how they can get home.

 

But none of them did know how to get home. They had tried to get home the way Laguna told them after defeating Adel, _that seems so long ago,_ but it didn’t work. When it was getting dark they went inside the orphanage. To their surprise the orphanage looked exactly like it did when they lived in it. The cupboards were filled with food and so was the fridge. On the beds the softest linen was placed with pillows so soft that when Selphie put her head on the pillow she was asleep immediately. A small fire was burning in the fireplace, giving a soft glow in the living room. After they had finished a small and quit meal Irvine was sitting at the diner table playing Triple Triad with Quistis.

 

“It’s not fair.”

 

“What’s not?” Quistis lifts her eyes from her cards and places the next one on the board.

 

“You’ve got all these nice cards while I am stuck with these,” Irvine is a good Triple Triad player but he hasn’t played in some time, therefore his deck of cards isn’t anywhere near that impressive as Quistis’. She is the card King, something he forgot when he asks her for a game. “I just can’t win.”

 

“With that attitude you won’t,” Seifer said laughingly. He sits at the head of the diner table and was silently watching the game.

 

Irvine ignores him and placed a card on the board. Seifer grunts when he sees what card Irvine placed and shakes his head. Quistis places her last card on the board and flips two of Irvine’s card. Irvine sees he has lost, again _._ SmilingQuistis picks a card from him and Irvinegathers the remaining cards. “I am going to get some sleep,” he announces and he makes his way to his old bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

 

“He is a poor looser,” Seifer walks to the fridge and grabs himself a beer. “You want one too?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Seifer reaches in the fridge for another bottle of beer and closes the door with his foot. He walks to the chair Irvine occupied minutes before and he sits himself down. He hands Quistis her beer and asks, “A game?”

 

“I would love that.” Quistis opens her bottle and takes a swig.

 

“Great,” Seifer fumbles in the pockets of his coat and retrieves a worn-out pack of cards. “I have to warn you, I have practiced this game a lot more than Irvine. Those Galbadian Soldiers are poor losers, but they sure can play.” A grin appears on his face when Quistis said.

 

“Let’s find out.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“How do you feel?”

 

“Fine,” Rinoa said never leaving her eyes of Squall.

 

Squall kept true to his word and is helping Zell fighting with his new sword. Zell is a quick learner and he can already block most of Squall’s attacks, unfortunately not fast enough, he will have bruises on his arms and legs by tomorrow.

 

Rinoa looks at Laguna and said softly, “Empty.” Turning her head to the sparring men again she sees that Zell ducked just in time, Squall’s horizontal slash barely missed his head, “As if some important part of me is missing.”

 

“Your powers?”

 

Rinoa nods her head slowly, “I always was depending on others, and I could never take care of myself. After I met Squall and the others I always had the feeling I was one step behind. When I received the Sorcery powers I felt like I was one step _ahead_ of everyone. I was finally able to take care of myself, for once in my life I was not relying on others.” She pulls her legs to her chest and puts her arms around them. “Now I feel like I am ten steps behind.”

 

“You shouldn’t compare yourself to them,” Laguna puts a hand on Rinoa’s back. “They are Seed. Trained professionals from a young age. You haven’t got that kind of training.” He gives Rinoa’s arm a gentle squeeze and puts his hands behinds his head. “You didn’t only loose your Sorcery powers, you also lost the GF’s. It will take some time to get used to it, but I am sure you will be fine.”

 

“Thank you,” Rinoa said while resting her head on her knees.

 

“No problem,” Laguna yawns. “Though I don’t think you would mind Squall watching over you.”

 

Rinoa’s eyes widen and her face turns red, which makes Laguna chuckle. “I think I am going to go to bed,” Rinoa announces with a still red face.

 

“Goodnight,” Laguna said to her when she went through the door. He shakes his head and chuckles slightly. He turns his attention back to his son, _he will be a good teacher._ He makes himself comfortable on the lounge and closes his eyes.

 

Rinoa walks to the girl’s old bedroom, which she, of course, shares with the former inhabitants Selphie, Ellone and Quistis. On her way there she sees Seifer and Quistis playing Triple Triad, seeing Seifer’s sour face she guesses Quistis is winning. In the living room Kiros is sitting in the couch next to the fireplace and is reading a book, spotting her he nods his head and continues reading. In the couch on the other side of the room Ward is laying, his feet are propped on the table and he is snoring loudly. Rinoa giggles and waves at Kiros before finally arriving at the bedrooms. Quietly she opens the door, two out of the three beds are already occupied. After they had eaten some Selphie had made her way to her bedroom and had fallen asleep immediately. Ellone followed not long after her. The largest of the three beds was still empty, _seems like I will have to bunk with Quistis,_ she unties her shoelaces and kicks her shoes off. She kicks them under the bed and lays down on the right side of the bed, pulling the soft linen up to her chin.

 

Even though she was tired she couldn’t sleep. Lying on her side she could look through the open window and she saw the stars shining brightly next to a full moon. _Will we ever get home?_ She wonders. She doesn’t know how long she lay awake staring at the stars when she heard the creaking of the door. She turned around and saw Quistis tiptoeing to theirbed.

 

“Can’t sleep?” She asks Rinoa as she sees she is still awake.

 

“No,” she said with a yawn.

 

Quistis slips in the bed next to Rinoa, “want to talk about it?”

 

“Not really,” Rinoa looks apologizing to Quistis. Although it is dark in the room Quistis sees it.

 

“Maybe tomorrow?”

 

Rinoa nods her head lightly mumbling, “Tomorrow.”

 

“Goodnight,” Quistis said and she turns so she lays on her left side, her back to Rinoa. Rinoa turns to her right again and look through the window again.

 

“Goodnight,” Rinoa mumbles. With their back touching lightly Rinoa falls asleep immediately.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Kiros looks up from his book and sees Seifer standing in the doorway with a half empty bottle of beer in his hand, doubting if he should enter or not. Kiros puts his book down and asks, “Can you get me one?” He points with his book to Seifer’s beer. Seifer turns back to the kitchen and when he returns he has a six-pack with him. He gives one to Kiros and places the other on the table next to Ward’s feet. “Thanks,” After Seifer remains standing Kiros said, “take a seat, I won’t bite.”

 

Seifer slumps in the chair, he opens his new bottle and empties it in one swig.

 

“You might want to slow down,” Kiros opens his own bottle and takes a small swig. “You are no good to us drunk tomorrow.”

 

Seifer shrugs his shoulders, he puts the empty bottle on the table and leans back in his chair, “what is going to happen tomorrow?”

 

“We are going back home,” Kiros said with such certainly that Seifer has trouble doubting him.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Positively,” Kiros put his own bottle on the table and pokes a stick in the fire and throws it in the fireplace. “I learned to listen to my instinct. It hasn’t proved me wrong yet.”

 

“I hope you are right,” Seifer mumbles under his breath “I don’t know if I am able to avoid the others for much longer.”

 

_Speaking of the devil_ , Kiros thinks. Zell and Squall stumble through the hallway to the bedrooms. Neither of them takes a look inside the living room both are clearly exhausted from their sparring. “You only have to avoid those two,” he nods his head to the doorway, “and Selphie and you will be fine.”

 

“Easy for you to say. I have to sleep in the same room as them,” Seifer reaches for another beer but Kiros stops him.

 

“You really shouldn’t.”

 

Raising his arms in defeat he shouts, “Fine.” walking angrily away he slams the door shut behind him.

 

Seifer makes his way to the porch with the intention to go sleep on the lounge but Laguna is already sleeping on it. He doesn’t want to sleep on the beach, it was chilling outside, although Laguna wasn’t bothered by it, so he makes his way back inside. The kitchen was no place to sleep and now the living room was off limit too he had only two places left he could sleep in. The _boys’_ room and Edea’s and Cid’s chamber.

 

_I really have no choice._ Seifer thinks. Slowly he opens the door hoping that the other present in this room are already sleeping. For once his luck was on his side, Irvine, Squall and Zell were all fast asleep. He shrugs of his coat, boots and pants and slips in his own bed, even if it is too small for him, Seifer feels comfortable. For the first time in a long time, Seifer’s dream was pleasant.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next morning Selphie and Ellone were the first ones up. Together the two girls prepared breakfast. One by one everyone joined them, taking a seat on the big family table or helping prepare something. It was just like old times when they lived in the orphanage. Edea would be making breakfast and all the children were sitting around the large table. Cid always sat on the head of the table, reading from his newspaper. And Matron would make everyone’s favorite food.

 

“That was good” Zell rubs his stomach, “too bad there weren’t any hot dogs.”

 

Selphie smacks Zell lightly on the head, “want to make your own breakfast next time?” she asks threatening.

 

“No,” Zell rubs his head. “I was just saying that-”

 

Irvine kicks Zell under the table, “you’d better say nothing.”

 

Zell gulps and keeps quit.

 

Everyone was making small talk until they heard a rapid knocking on the door.

 

“Who could that be?” Laguna wonders out loud. Seifer looks to Kiros and he has a, _I_ _told you,_ lookon his face.

 

Quistis is the first one to rise from her chair, she was sitting closest to the door. Everyone else follows slightly behind her.

 

“Careful Quisty,” Selphie said while Quistis is reaching for the doorknob.

 

Quistis turns the knob, she takes a deep breath and opens the door. To her surprise a very familiar face stands before her. “Xu,” she screams and she hugs the other woman. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Getting you home,” she said pointing to something behind her. Quistis looks over Xu’s shoulders and sees the familiar red hull of the _Ragnarok_. “What are we waiting for?” Xu almost yells when she sees that everyone has a blank expression on their face.

 

“Are we really going home?” A shocked Zell asks.

 

“If you all get aboard we will,” Xu turns around and walks back to the Ragnarok.

 

They didn’t waste any time and all of them rushed back into the house, gathering the few belongings they had with them. All together it didn’t take them more then five minutes to get to the Ragnarok.

 

Once everyone was standing inside the hanger Xu leads them all to the passenger’s room “Take a seat,” she said while she walks to the front of the room. There are not enough seats for all of them to sit down, so some decide to sit on the floor while others remain standing. “I guess you want to know how we got here.” Xu asks to no one in particular. “And I would like to know what happened to all you guys. You were gone for so long.”

 

“How long?” Quistis asks her friend.

 

“A month,” Xu replied. “A month ago we found Fujin and Rajin.”

 

“How are they?” Seifer asks Xu forcefully. “Where are they.”

 

Xu wasn’t all to happy to let Seifer onboard, if it wasn’t for Quistis she would have probably left him behind, but Quistis convinced her, and it wasn’t like Xu to say no to her friend. So she let him onboard, but that doesn’t mean she has to be in the same room as he is. “They are in the airlock room,” and just as Xu suspected Seifer left the passenger room to find his friends, _good riddance_ she thinks. “As I was saying, we first found Fujin and Rajin near the Lunatic Pandora. A few days later Dr. Odine suddenly showed up, till today we are not exactly sure where he came from. It is not like he answers any of our questions.”

 

“Is he here?” Laguna asks the SeeD.

 

“He is in the cockpit with Nida.”

 

“How did you find us? And how come so much time has passed? ” Irvine puts his elbows on his knees and leans forward. “We were only gone for a few days max.”

 

“It has to do with Time Compression. Time flows differently.”

 

“Just like our world and that of the Immortals and Guardians.” Selphie said leaning on the railing in front of the glass. “One year in their world was the same as thousand years in our world.”

 

Xu looks questionable at Selphie, she doesn’t know what she is talking about. “I’ll fill you in later.” Quistis said to Xu.

 

Xu nods her head and continues her story “When we found him we questioned him, but he didn’t answer any of our questions. He only kept rambling about _Junction Machine Ellone_ and ordered us to bring him back to Esthar.”

 

Ellone draws her shawl closer on her shoulder when she heard the last part.

 

“Of course we declined. Telling him he was going nowhere. We stayed near the Lunatic Pandora for a week but still you weren’t back. Odine told us you were probably lost and that he could find you. I didn’t trust him but Cid ordered us to bring him back to Esthar, but he was smart enough to order a permanent guard near him. Most of the time I stayed with him.”

 

“How did you last?” Laguna whispers under his breath.

 

Kiros slams his elbow in Laguna’s stomach, “let her continue.”

 

With a smile on her face Xu continued, “Dr. Odine rebuild the Junction Machine Ellone and now we were able to travel into Time Compression. So we got into this world, but we didn’t have a clue where you were. It was pure luck that we decided to check on the orphanage first.”

 

“So when are we going back?” Zell asks.

 

“Soon,” Xu walks to where Zell is sitting. “We have a little problem with the engine.”

 

“I can take a look,” Zell offers and he makes his way to the engine room.

 

Selphie walks to Irvine grabs his hand and pulls him to his feet, “let’s check the cockpit.”

 

After both of them were out of the room Xu said, “You are free to go.” Slowly everyone walks out of the room. When Quistis is near the entrance Xu pulls her back, “not you,” she said commanding.

Confused Quistis turns around and sees Xu smirking. “You owe me a story.” Xu takes a seat and Quistis takes the seat next to her and she begins their story.

 

“We had defeated Ultimecia, or so we thought-.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

It took them a few hours to fix the problem with the engine. Dr. Odine was shouting orders from the cockpit to Nida who really had no idea what he was doing. But with Zell’s help it went much better and faster.

 

“All done.” Zell said while wiping his hand clean with a cloth.

 

“Finally.” Nida said exhausted and puts the radio off. Dr. Odine’s shouting voice doesn’t give them a headache anymore “I really don’t thing I could have fixed this on my own.”

 

Together they put all the tools back in their rightful place and make their way up to the cockpit. Thankfully Dr. Odine was nowhere in sight, Xu however was and that explains directly why Dr. Odine wasn’t anywhere near. Spending a few weeks with Dr. Odine, Xu had finally snapped and every time Dr. Odine sees Xu he whimpers in fear and walks away as fast as he can, in the opposite direction. Xu gives Nida a small smile and Nida makes his way up to the pilot chair. Selphie however is already sitting in it. Singing a song about flying a plane.

 

“Selph. I think you need to leave,” Irvine said when he sees Nida struggling.

 

“Really?” Selphie said sadly.

 

“Selph,” Irvine warns her.

 

Selphie shrugs her shoulders and said, “Okay.” She jumps out of the chair and sits in the co-pilot seat. “I can sit here right?”

 

“Sure,” Nida said relieved. “You can still help.”

 

“Tell me what to do,” Selphie sits up straight in her seat eager to follow Nida’s commands.

 

“We need to do a flight pre-check-” Irvine lost it after that, he really had no idea what they were talking about, nor did he care as long as it would take them out of here. His forte has always been woman and guns. Knowing his girl is in good hands he makes his way to Zell who is busy shadowboxing. On the bench behind him Quistis and Xu are sitting, talking quietly together.

 

“And how are my two favorite ladies?” He asks as he sits down between Xu and Quistis, interrupting their talk in the progress. He puts his arms on both of their shoulders and makes himself comfortable.

 

Xu and Quistis look at each other, they stand up abruptly and walk out of the cockpit.

 

“Where are you two going?” Irvine asks disappointed.

 

All the answer he gets is Xu’s angry glare. _If looks could kill,_ Irvine shakes his head, _well in Quistis case_ she _can._ Irvine sighs in defeat, he put his legs on the bench and put his arm behind his head. His hat on his chest. Closing his eyes he lulls to sleep with the sound of Zell’s swatting, Nida’s typing and Selphie’s soft voice singing

 

_Plane, plane, take me away._

 

“Wake up,” Someone shakes Irvine roughly, “we are leaving.”

Reluctantly Irvine opens his eyes and sees Zell standing above him, “I was just having such a nice dream” Irvine stretches and sits up straight, “it involved Selp-”

 

Zell interrupts him and puts his hands above his ears, “I don’t want to know.” Zell walks further mumbling under his breath with his hands still covering his ears

 

Looking around he sees almost everyone is gathered in the cockpit, with the exception of Seifer, Fujin, Rajin and Dr. Odine but that was expected. Irvine remains sitting on the bench and Ellone joins him. “So we finally go home?” He asked her.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good,” Irvine puts his hat on his head and tips it slightly towards Ellone and makes his way over to Selphie and Nida.

 

“Ready for takeoff in three,” Nida pushes some buttons, “two.” With his left hand he grabs the steer wheel and with his right he pushes the gas handle full, “one”.

 

Irvine grabs Selphie’s seat on holds it tightly, he remembers Selphie’s lift offs and those you don’t want to remember. If you didn’t fasten your seatbelts you _really_ had some big problems. Holding on for his dear life he closes his eyes and holds his breath. He remains standing so for a few minutes before he realize they are not moving. “Why aren’t we flying? What is wrong?”

 

“Don’t know,” Selphie replied. She and Nida are frantically trying to find out what is wrong with the Ragnarok. Knowing there is nothing he can do, and he will probably in the way, he steps back. He can hear Dr. Odine’s commands through the intercom. He makes his way back to the couch he was sitting on and he leans back, waiting silently.

 

“Zell,” Nida looks at the martial artist. “Can you check on the engine? Odine needs your help.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Zell walks to the elevator and Ward joins him down to the engine room.

 

“Now all we can do is wait,” Nida returns to his computer and runs a diagnostic program, “make yourselves comfortable. We are not going home yet.”

 

Those were not the words Irvine wanted to hear right now.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Walking into the cockpit he sees that everyone is tense. Nida is clutching the steer in his hand so hard that his knuckles turn white. Selphie sits next to him looking nervously outside. Irvine is pacing behind her. Xu and Quistis have a silent argument, their heads almost touching. Rinoa clutches her rings and glances at Squall every now and then. Squall himself stands with his arms crossed staring at Ellone. Kiros and Laguna are also having a silent conversation.

“Why aren’t we leaving this place?”

 

Rinoa looks up to her former boyfriend, “there is something wrong with the Ragnarok, we just don’t know what.”

 

Fujin and Rajin sit down on the couch and Seifer joins them. “Any idea when we will go?” The silence that follows is enough answer for Seifer. “Great. Just great.”

 

A silent _ding_ announces the arrival of Zell and Ward. “There is nothing wrong with the engine.”

 

“Damn,” Xu cursed. “But what is wrong?”

 

“I don’t understand,” Nida replied frustrated. He glides his hand through his hair. “We should be able to go, but we can’t.”

 

“We checked everything” Selphie continues for Nida “as Zell said there is nothing wrong with the engine. We checked _everything,_ but we can’t find anything.”

 

“Odine is now checking the Junction Machine,” he steals a glance at Ellone, “but he didn’t think that is where the problem is, whatever the problem is.”

 

Laguna moves away from the door and sits next to Ellone on the bench giving her a gentle pat on her shoulder.

 

Seifer stares out of the window behind Ellone and sees a thick fog covering the orphanage, “Where is that coming from?” He mumbles to himself but Fujin and Rajin heard him. They follow his gaze and their mouths fall open agape. Laguna and Ellone see the shocked look on their face and slowly they turn their heads to see what shocked them so much.

 

“Whoa!” Laguna stands up abruptly and everyone turns their head to him.

 

“What’s wrong Lagu-” Kiros begins but when he looks outside he is stunned. Out of nowhere a thick fog appears and engulfs the entire orphanage. Slowly it rolls towards the Ragnarok. “That is not a normal fog.”

 

“You think?” Irvine said, maybe a little bit too sarcastically.

 

Everyone was silently looking outside, seeing the fog coming their way. Not knowing what exactly it is or what it will do when it reaches them. All of them feel that something is inside the fog, but none of them know for sure if it is good or bad.

 

Slowly the fog creeps forward, tentacles of fog crawl forward as if searching for something then they retreat back to the big mass of fog only for the tentacles to appear again.

 

“It is looking for something.”

 

Minutes tick by and no one knows what to do, all they can do is looking the fog approaching the Ragnarok slowly. The mist crawls inch by inch until the fog reaches the nose of the Ragnarok. Selphie and Nida get out of their chairs and with their instinct kicking in, they jump back.

 

The fog doesn’t penetrate through the Ragnarok’s hull, it stays outside, but the fog covers the entire cockpit. The lights switch on automatically.

 

No one dares to speak or even move. Each and every one of them is rooted on their spot.

 

A scream from Ellone breaks the silence.

 

“What’s wrong Elle?” Laguna places his hands on both her shoulders, he can feel Ellone shiver in fear.

 

“I…. Don’t…. Know….” Ellone clutches her stomach “It….Hurts….” she drops to her knees, breathing hard.

 

Laguna looks at her desperately, he wants to help her but he doesn’t know how.

 

Rinoa has her hand before her mouth her other hand is placed on Squall’s tense shoulder, giving the support Squall needs right now.

 

A grunt from Quistis turns everyone’s head towards her. Quistis too is clutching her stomach.

 

“What is going on?” Xu said while Quistis grabs her underarms, she has a dead grip on her arms. _That will leave a mark,_ Xu thinks looking worriedly at one of her best friends. “Q!” Xu screamed at the same time Laguna screamed Ellone’s name.

 

A bright light.

 

They are gone.

 

Vanished into thin air.

 

Minutes pass by but nobody else is in pain or disappearing.

 

“Everyone okay?” Irvine asks breaking the tense silence. He knows it is a strange question after seeing two of his friends disappearing but he knows, as does everybody else, that ensuring everyone is safe is their first priority.

 

“Why only them?” Xu asked staring at the space Quistis occupied minutes before.

 

“Because of their powers,” Zell said what all of them was thinking. “The same reason Ultimecia was after them the first time.”

 

“But you killed Ultimecia,” Xu puts her hands on her hip.

 

“So the question is-” Selphie said.

 

“Who?” Xu looks to Squall for guidance, he is their commander.

 

Squall feels like _that_ little boy again, his sister taken away from him, leaving him all alone. But this time not one sister but two were taken away from him, but this time he isn’t alone. He has his friends and family with him and together they will get them back.

 

“Can we use Odine’s machine to find them?”

 

“Let’s ask him,” Laguna said to his son.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quistis can’t see a thing. The thick mist makes her loose her eyesight. She has to move with her other senses, feeling and hearing. “Hello?” She yells, “Anybody here?”

 

“Quisty?” Ellone asked, relief flooding her voice. “Where are you?”

 

“Keep talking,” Quistis closes her eyes, “I’ll come to you,” and slowly she approaches Ellone, finding her only by the sound of her voice.

 

Quistis stops mere centimeters in front of Ellone, she can see Ellone’s face but only if she stands real close. “You okay?”

 

Ellone nods her head. “You?”

 

“Fine.” Quistis is relieved she found Ellone, but she wonders if that mean the others are here too. And where they are exactly. “Are the others here too?” Quistis wonders out loud.

 

“Maybe,” Ellone replied. “I don’t know,” she shrugs her shoulders.

 

“Hello!” They scream in unison.

 

“Squall! Laguna! Anyone!”

 

But there is no answer.

 

“Is it Ultimecia?” Fear creeps into Ellone’s voice and she grabs Quistis’ hand.

 

“No,” Quistis squeezes Ellone’s hand. “We killed her.”

 

“But who brought us here?” Tears slip from Ellone’s cheek.

 

Suddenly the mist around them disappear, a circle a few meters wide is visible on the ground. They stand in a smaller circle inside a larger circle. Outside the circle the mist is still impenetrable.

 

A bright light comes from the sky, it bundles together and a single stripe of light falls on the smaller circle. Quistis and Ellone step out of the smaller circle into the larger one.

 

Out of the light a woman appears. Long silver hair and gentle gold eyes look at the two women.

 

“You can’t leave yet.”

 

The voice sounds angelic but Quistis doesn’t know if she can trust this woman. “What do mean? Who are you? What do you want?”

 

A flicker of a smile appears on her face for just a second, “A sacrifice.”


	9. Chapter 9

“LOCKED.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“What do you think she means cowboy,” Seifer replied hotly. “We can’t get out. The doors are locked.”

 

Everyone was gathered in the hanger. After Quistis and Ellone disappeared, they gathered their weapons and regrouped back here. Seifer, Fujin and Rajin where the first ones here. Seifer is not one to wait so he made his way to the exit, only to come to the conclusion they couldn’t get out.

 

“Then why don’t you unlock them?” Xu walks past Seifer and made her way to the exit. Within a minute she was back. “He is right, we can’t get out. The ship won’t recognize my authorization code.”

 

“It is not responding to anything,” Nida said frustrated. “I can’t get back into the main frame.” He punches the computer in anger.

 

“Do you think whoever is responsible for the disappearing of Ellone and Quistis is the same one who locked us in?” Rinoa asks Squall softly, so only he can hear her.

 

“I think so,” he whispers back.

 

“I hope they are okay,” Rinoa leans into Squall and he puts an arm around her.

 

_Me too._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

_A sacrifice._

 

The worlds of the _angel_ still ring in her ear. She thought this angel would be the bearer of good news, not the bad.

 

No matter what, Ellone knows she would do anything to keep Quistis save, she would not let anything happen to her little sister. If one of them had to give up their life it would be her. _Quisty probably wouldn’t agree_ , but this time Ellone is ready to stand her ground, this time they will do what she wants and she doesn’t want to be the damsel in distress anymore.

 

“Do not fear little one,” thewoman said with kindness in her eyes. “I do not ask for your lives.”

 

Ellone releases the breath she was holding, “Then what do you ask for?”

 

The woman ignores her question, for now. “You can’t leave, this world is disturbed too much that it has become unstable. You can’t leave, but if you stay here you will be destroyed together with this world.”

 

“What can we do?” Quistis asks. “Did we come all this way just to die here?”

 

“You won’t die, I will help you. That is why you two are here, you are the most powerful magic _beings_ alive. But in order to help you I need one of you to sacrifice your powers to me.”

 

A long silence follows. Quistis and Ellone are just getting used to the idea that one of them has to give up her powers for good.

 

“So who will give up her powers?” The golden eyed woman said pointing her long slender fingers towards the two young women. “Who will give me the energy to save you all?”

 

“I will.”

 

“You don’t have to do that,” Quistis said. “I will gladly give up my powers. I saw how hard it was for you last time, I don’t want you to go through that again.”

 

“No. I don’t need my powers anymore. I have been thinking a lot these last few days. After seeing my mom I realized that all I ever wanted was to see my mom again. I can’t look into my own past and there was nobody alive who knew my mother. Everyday I wished I would meet someone who knew my parents. When I found none I used all my energy into stopping Laguna from leaving Raine. I couldn’t see my own mother again, but that way Squall would know his, it didn’t work out. I can’t change to past, I realize that know, all I can do is live in the now. I have to live in the present, look forward to the future, not linger in the past.” A big smile appears on Ellone’s face “In the end I got what I whished for, and I didn’t need my powers to accomplish that wish,” a glint appears in Ellone’s eyes, “and maybe the world will need yours again once more.”

 

She said the last part as if she knows something that Quistis doesn’t.

 

“I will.” Ellone said again, stepping in the light in front of the silver haired woman, “I am ready.” Hyne places both her hands on either side of Ellone’s head.

 

The wind begins to rush, Quistis hair is blowing in her face. Tugging the hair behind her ear she sees that the woman places a kiss on Ellone’s forehead, one on each cheek and one on her mouth.

“It is done.” She removes her hands from Ellone’s face and she slumps forward in her arms. “I will take you back to your ship.” She said to Quistis while stroking Ellone’s hair. “Hold on to your sister.”

 

Quistis puts Ellone’s arm over her shoulders and hold her midsection. She looks into the gentle golden eyes of the woman, “But how do we get back.”

 

“Do not worry child, you don’t have to do anything. I will take care of everything. ”

 

“Thank you,” Quistis holds Ellone closer, ready to be warped away. But she still has a question for this woman, “Who are you?”

 

A flash of light, a tug in her stomach and Quistis and Ellone are being warped towards the Ragnarok.

 

_I am called Hyne._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Quistis opens her eyes and she is glad to be back in the Ragnarok again. She is still holding Ellone close to her, but her weight makes her arms tremble. Looking at her friends she cannot help but put a smile on her face after seeing their shocked suppression. “A little help?” she said and everyone closes in to help her. “One is enough.” Quistis grins.

 

“Is she alright?” Selphie asks and Quistis nods her head. “What happened?”

 

“She will be fine, she just needs to rest.”

 

Seifer sees that Quistis is struggling with Ellone and he gives her a helping hand, but not without remarking, “What is it with you woman. You faint all the time.” Although his tone is sarcastically he lifts Ellone carefully in his arms. He looks up to Squall, who nods his head to him and Seifer makes his way to the cabins.

 

Quistis chooses to ignore his sarcastic remark and orders, “Nida get behind the wheel, we are leaving.”

 

“Yes ma’am,” Nida replied and he makes his way towards the cockpit. Selphie and Xu run after him.

 

Squall looks towards Rinoa and she knows what he needs of her, _look after Ellone,_ she leans into Squall and gives him a peck on the cheek. She follows after Seifer and along the way she walks past Laguna and grabs his hand, dragging him with her.

 

When Quistis makes her way past Squall he grabs her arm, “Hold on Quistis.” Quistis turns her head and looks him in the eye, “What happened.”

 

“I’ll explain later Squall,” Quistis shrugs Squall’s hand off her and continues her way to the cockpit.

Squall follows after her shortly, together they ride the elevator up. Entering the cockpit he sees Nida and Selphie doing their preflight stuff again, _I really need to pay attention to what they do,_ Quistis stands near the glass and stares outside. The mist is still spread around the Ragnarok, he can’t see anything outside. “What are you looking for?”

 

“Her.”

 

Squall squint his eyes and looks in the same direction Quistis is looking at. He doesn’t see anything and he tells her so.

 

“Look closer.”

 

Looking closer he can see the shadow of a person. Slowly the mist is retreating and he can see a woman standing in a ceremonial circle. Silver hair is floating around the woman, her dress twirls in the wind. Gold eyes look up to him and Squall cannot help but shiver. “Who is she?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

The golden eye woman raises a hand and the Ragnarok starts to float in the sky.

 

A scream from Nida makes Squall turn his attention towards him.

 

“What’s wrong?” Xu looks over Nida’s shoulder at the board computer. “That can’t be,” she sounds shocked.

 

“It is.”

 

“What is?” Squall needs to know what is happening.

 

“We are flying.”

 

Squall doesn’t see the problem, finally they can get home.

 

“But I am not the one flying.”

 

That is more troublesome. Squall makes his way to him but he is stopped by Quistis.

 

“Relax,” Quistis never left her eyes of the woman. “She is controlling this ship, she will get us home.”

 

Squall looks through the glass and he can _see_ the magic energy coming from this woman. One hand is lifted in the air, as if it is steering the Ragnarok. While the Ragnarok rises the woman stumbles on her knees, but still her right hand is outstretched to the sky, guiding them to their home. Sitting on her knees her left hand joins her right hand. The circle she is sitting in begins to shine brightly, the light swells until Squall needs to covers his eyes with his arm.

 

Faster and higher the Ragnarok moves, the whole ship begins to shake heavily and everyone holds on to something to remain standing. Opening his eyes Squall sees that the light has faded. Looking to the ground he can see green grass instead of the brownish rocks. The woman is nowhere to be seen however. Looking to the horizon he sees the blue ocean and in the sky the sun shines brightly.

 

“Are we home?” Selphie looks amazed at her surroundings, “are we really home?”

 

“It seems that way,” Xu replied, placing her hand on the shorter woman shoulders. “Let’s find out.”

 

Selphie nods her head and begins typing in her board computer. A big smile appears on her face when she shouts, “we are near Dollet! We are home!”

 

Their joy was short-lived when the alarm bells start to ring.

 

“Nida!” Squall walks over to the young man who is trying frantically to keep the Ragnarok in the air.

 

“We are crashing.” He pushes the button of the intercom, “hold on to something, we are going down!”

 

Squall braces himself for the impact that will come. _Is this it?_ He wonders. The ground is getting closer way too fast. Nida and Selphie are trying everything to slow the Ragnarok down, but to no avail.

 

The Ragnarok hits the earth, too hard and too fast. The sudden impact had everyone in the ship knocked out.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

_Where am I? What Happened._

 

Opening her eyes she sees an awfully familiar room. _My old room?_ She has lived in this room for almost her entire life. A large painting of her mother hangs in the back of the room above the piano which she used to play on. On her left is her balcony, the doors are open and a soft breeze flows into the room. On the right stands a large bookcase filled with old and new books. She is lying on her double bed, but she is not lying there alone. A soft sigh makes Rinoa turn her head to see Selphie sleeping next to her.

 

“Selphie,” she hissed. Selphie moans lightly and turns over in her sleep, her back turned towards Rinoa. “Selphie,” she tries again but Selphie doesn’t react. A wicked smile appears on Rinoa’s face and she pushes Selphie of the bed.

 

“Ouch,” Selphie moans while rubbing her head. “Where am I?”

 

“You’re in mine old room.” Rinoa lies on the side of her bed looking down towards Selphie.

 

“So this is your room.” Selphie grins widely, she jumps to her feet and starts exploring Rinoa’s room.

 

Rinoa shakes her head grabs some clothes and walks into her own bathroom. She wants to look for the others but she decided that a shower and a chance of clothes are her first priorities.

After a quick shower she puts her jeans and a simple green shirt on, her hair put in a bun. She grabs her dirty clothes and throws them on a large pile, _I’ll clean that up later_. Walking back in her room she sees that Selphie is standing at the balcony, enjoying the view.

 

“This is great,” she said when she heard Rinoa approaching. “It’s beautiful.”

 

“I know,” walking to her wardrobe she grabs some clothes and gives them to Selphie. “You can take a shower and put these on. I am going to check on the others.”

 

“Thanks,” Selphie said and Rinoa hands the clothes over to Selphie and leaves the room.

 

_Where are the others? And why are we here?_

Walking past the guestrooms she notices how silent it is. At every door she puts her ears to hear if anyone inside is awake, but she hears nothing. Tiptoeing to her father’s room she sees that his door is open. Peeking inside he sees his maid making his bed. The maid looks up and said, “Your father is in his study.”

 

“Thanks Mia.”

 

Standing in front of her father’s study she takes a deep breath and knocks three times on the door.

 

“Come in,” her father said. She never expected to hear her father’s voice again, she was so angry at him. For what he did to her mom and to her, his actions during the Second Sorceress War, but she found out that she is unable to hate this man. After everything he did, he is still her father, she remembers what she told Squall, ‘ _you’re lucky you still have a parent’._ Rinoa is determined to clear the sky between herself and her father.

 

She takes a deep breath and Rinoa opens the heavy doors.

 

Her father doesn’t look up, but points for her to sit down. He is engrossed in a report and Rinoa decides for once to just listen to him and sit in the chair. Crossing her legs she places her hands on her knees. She takes a good look at her father, she hasn’t seen him in almost a year. His dark hair is replaced by grey streaks along his temples. Lines appear when he frowns. On his nose a reading glasses rest. _How did you get this old this soon father_? He isn’t wearing his official suite, she should have noticed this sooner, as he _never_ leaves his room without his official garb **.** He was always trying to impress people with his medals of honor he received. _Maybe he changed?_ Rinoa didn’t dare to hope.

 

Rinoa waited for minutes and still her father was reading his report. Thinking she had waited long enough she coughs politely announcing her presence.

 

“Sorry,” Fury Caraway said, he puts the glasses away and looks to his guest. “Rinoa?” he is shocked to see his daughter sitting in front of him. “How are you?”

 

“I am good father,” she didn’t want to look ungrateful but she needed to know, “what happened?”

 

“We received an emergency call,” Fury stands up and sits down next to Rinoa, leaning back in his chair. “Your ship had crashed near the Tomb of the Unknown King.I recognize the ship immediately, I had received word from Cid about what happened.” He grabs her hands in his. “We didn’t expect that anyone would survive that impact. The-” Fury looks at her questionable.

 

“Ragnarok.”

 

“Right. The Ragnarok was broken in so many pieces.” He stops talking for a moment and Rinoa can hear the fear he must have felled, thinking that his only daughter was death. He takes a deep breath before he continues. “I had to see it with my own eyes. SeeD and the Galbadia militia together search the scrapes but we found nothing. Cid and I feared the worst. A few hours later I received a call from Cid, his SeeD had found you all. You were miles away from the Ragnarok, on the beach just north of here. You were lying side by side near the water edge.”

 

Fury releases her hands. Standing near the window he looks outside, if he squints real hard he can see the ocean in the distance. “Cid told me he was with Edea in their orphanage at Centra so I told him I would help. My men took you from the beach to our home, I had the best doctors from Deling checking on you. But to my surprise nobody was hurt.” Fury looks back to his daughter and Rinoa can see the hurt and love shining in his eyes.

 

“Thankfully,” Rinoa agreed. She walks to her father and for the first time in a _very_ long time she hugs her father. “Thanks dad.”

 

After his initial shock he hugs her back, “I would do anything for you, daughter. Remember that.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The next couple of days were spending in the large mansion of the Caraway’s. Even though some people were busy to avoid others, the days were spending with resting and eating. After months of fighting against Galbadia, the Sorceresses and even one of their own, they were all tired. On the third day an aircraft from Esthar arrived near Deling. Ellone, Laguna, Kiros, Ward and Dr. Odine were the first to leave to their home.

 

“I’ll be seeing you all again soon,” Laguna said waving at the ones who stayed behind. “Expect a big party when you get in Esthar.” After seeing Ellone is stalling he shouts, “hurry Elle!”

 

“I am coming!” Ellone shouts back. “You will come right?” She asks Squall. He nods his head and Ellone hugs him tightly, “I’ll hold you to that.”

 

After everyone has received a warm hug from her she walks to the aircraft. When she is inside the aircraft departs for Esthar, there are still some problems from the Lunatic Pandorra, even though most of the problems have been taken care of, a country can’t take some big decisions without its president.

 

On the fourth day Seifer announced his departing. Fujin and Rajin would go with him as usual. “I feel like the fifth wheel around here,” he told Quistis.

 

“Have you talked to Cid yet?”

 

Seifer shakes his head. “No.”

 

“There will be a trial.” Quistis places her hand on his shoulder, “Cid and I talked about it, there is no way they can lock you up. But still, we need to know where you are.”

 

“I am going to Timber.”

 

And the three of them left, helping the Forest Owls with the restoration of their town.

 

On the seventh day Balamb SeeD knocked on the door of the Mansion. Balamb Garden was parked just outside of Deling to pick up the _hero’s;_ it will return back to Balamb and stay there for the time being.

 

“I have a surprise for you,” Fury Caraway said to his daughter.

 

Rinoa looks up to her father with curiosity. Her father grins slightly and he whistles on his fingers. Rinoa waits for an explanation when she hears a bark.

 

“Angelo!”

 

Her faithful friend comes running towards her. He jumps on her and Rinoa falls on the ground, laughing wildly. Angelo licks her entire face, his wet tongue tickles on her face.

 

“Where have you been?”

 

“She was wandering the planes around Esthar, some Galbadian Soldiers found her and brought her back.”

 

“Thanks dad,” she said still laughing. The others joined her, and even Squall laughs.

 

“You’re welcome,” her father said with a big smile on his face. “I think you should go now, the others are waiting.”

 

Rinoa looks behind her and sees her friends, _no family_ , are waiting for her. “I’ll come back dad. I promise.”

 

“I know you will,” a quick hug and he pushes his daughter playfully away. “Now go.”

 

“Bye dad.” Rinoa screams and together with Angelo she runs towards her other home, Balamb Garden.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Fisherman’s Horizon is enjoying the beginning of the summer. Another summer, another chance at fresh fish. That was also what Rajin was thinking when he asked Seifer to go fishing with him. Fishing isn’t really Seifer’s forte, he isn’t exactly the patient one, but he at least owns it to this man. If it wasn’t for him and Fujin he probable would still be in prison. Thanks to them and to his foster parents and even his _siblings_ he avoided a heavy punishment. It was like Edea said, _it isn’t his fault, he was controlled, and it is in his blood._

 

The train ride from Deling to Timber was uneventful, but he was glad for that. He wanted to see some of his old friends again, friends he didn’t hurt and who wouldn’t judge him. Watts and Zone were two of them, and if in the meantime he could help them restore Timber he would do so. That is what he was doing with Rinoa, two years ago. When the three of them arrived there they were surprised at what the Forest Owls already had accomplished. The Galbadian Soldiers had left, if they were responsible for it or if Caraway ordered them to leave he still isn’t sure, and a first temporalgovernment was formed. All they could help with was restoring the homes, which they gladly did.

 

They were in Timber for a month when his old instructor and his rival came to get him. His trial would start in another month, but the good news was that his old home was going to help him. The preparations were hard and so was the trial, but they were worth it in the end. Three months in the trial he got his freedom back.

 

Cid told him he could remain in Garden, he still is an asset for Garden but he declined. He wouldn’t feel comfortable to live there, at least not now. The memories are still too fresh, and not just for him. He _killed_ SeeDs, friends, comrades, family of the ones who still live there. He can’t go back and he has nobody to blame but himself.

 

Seifer decided he wanted to travel the world, travel to the places he had damaged. He would offer his services and would right his wrongs. Their first stop was Timber and from there they went to FH.

 

For two months the helped repair the railroad, it will still take some time but within the year the railroad from Timber to Esthar will be fixed. The first thing he will do when the railroad is fixed is take the first train to Esthar. But that is still some time away.

 

Today he is enjoying a free day. And the best way to spend that is with his best friends. Although now one of his best friends should watch out.

 

Seifer and fishing really is a bad mix, especially when Rajin catches one fish after another. The jealousy kicks in, angrily he stands up and throws his fishing pole away. Rajin has no clue Seifer is this furious at him and Fujin, well Fujin will do anything to make Seifer smile again.

 

_Splash!_

Fujin kicked Rajin in the water. Seifer starts grinning, which formed into a big smile and later into a full laughter. Fujin joins him and even Rajin does, after he got out of the water.

Feathers flies around Seifer and he looks up to the sky, Fujin and Rajin follow his gaze and the three of them watch the garden fly overhead.

 

Seifer smiles.

 

_Thank you._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Off on a grassy hillside near Winhill, a feather floats down by Laguna, who looks at his ring finger.

 

He remembers it like the day of yesterday when he slides his ring on Raine’s finger. He was so nervous when he asked her to come with him. His legs almost began to cramp up, but thankfully he was able to control it. When he spotted Raine a bright smile appeared on his face. He had a long speech prepared in his mind but when he saw Raine standing there, he remembered none of it. Knowing sometimes actions mean more than words he slides the wedding ring on her finger. Raine looks at him questionably and Laguna holds up his hand to show a similar ring on his own finger. Tears fall from her eyes and she embraces Laguna lovingly, whispering _I love you_ in his ears.

 

Almost twenty years later he stands in the same spot where he proposed and married his wife. A single grave lies on this hillside. Walking towards it he can read the inscription.

 

_Raine Loire_

_Beloved wife and mother_

_Gave your life for others_

_Rest in peace_

 

Soft running footsteps announce the presences of his little niece, who isn’t that little anymore, she is a grown woman. Kiros and Ward stand at the top of the hill, giving Laguna a moment for himself. Ellone runs into him and he hugs her back tightly.

 

Balamb Garden flies overhead and a sweeping cloud of flower petals envelop the entire hillside.

 

_I will see you all soon._

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Selphie really had outdone herself. This festival was by far the best ever held in Garden, especially because this was also the _victory festival,_ a name which remained after Squall said that once jokingly. It wasn’t the first party in which they all in participated after the war, but it was the best. Only SeeD’s and trainees off Garden were invited, the once who suffered most during the war.

 

Irvine is dancing with Quistis but she only watches him, shaking her head about the moves Irvine makes. Selphie finally has her camera back and puts it on her. Quistis waves back and Irvine moves into view and puts his arm around Quistis. She pushes him away and walks off towards Cid.

 

Cid is enjoying himself, a glass of champagne in his hand and one of his children approaches him. The strongest magic caster alive, sometimes he wonders if their will be any consequence. Never has there been _one_ kind of magic, there were always two, good and evil, black and white, ying and yang, whatever you want to call it. He hopes that he is wrong, that nothing will happen, but his heart tells him otherwise. But there is no use spilling his beans yet, it is a time of celebrating. And he intends to do just that.

 

Quistis got herself a glass of champagne and clings her glass against Cid’s. They make some small talk. Selphie’s camera switches over to their Matron, she walks over towards her husband and nestles herself into Cid’s side. He puts his arm around her lovingly. Irvine joins them and he takes his hat off and bows to the couple.

 

Irvine takes over the camera and Selphie is wearing his cowboy hat. Irvine and a camera together are absolutely up to no good, which he proves immediately. He scopes out some SeeD _chicks_ and Selphie gets angry seeing him flirt with them. He waves at Xu who walks towards Nida and she waves back reluctant, she knows what for flirt he is and he is absolutely not her type. Bringing the camera back towards Selphie he sees she has walked away with Quistis and they are laughing at Zell who is _devouring_ hotdogs which the pig-tailed library girl brought him.

 

Zell starts to wave his arms frantically and he is having trouble breathing. The girls realize he is choking and they rush towards him and pat him on the back. After Quistis perform the Heimlich a chunk of hotdog flies into the direction of the camera. Irvine laughs real loud and Zell gives him a murderous look, Zell throws a hotdog at the camera. Irvine moves away from Zell, still laughing loudly.

 

Irvine swirls around with his camera and he spots Rinoa out on the balcony. He zooms in on her and calls Selphie and Quistis. Together they see Rinoa pointing up her finger and looks towards someone who is with her, no doubt Squall. Irvine intends to film everything but the battery dies, Selphie has some backup batteries and they are rushing to change batteries. When the camera is working again there is no sign of Rinoa anymore on the balcony, she has moved out of their sight and they fail to see what's she's doing.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Rinoa stands on the balcony looking at the sky, reminiscing about everything that happened the last year. From meeting Squall the first and especially the second time, fighting the Sorceress which turned out to be Squall’s foster mother. Being a prisoner and helping her friends escape from the same prison. A global war between Gardens and her receiving the Sorceress powers. The Lunar Cry, Ragnarok, Esthar. So much has happened. Seifer who threw her towards Adel, even though she knows it is not his fault it is still hard to forgive him for it, and Time Compression. Their final battle against Ultimecia, or so they thought. Fighting alongside Immortals and Guardian Forces. Loosing her Sorceress powers, getting used to that lost. And through all that time she could rely on her friends, her family. But most of all, she could rely on Squall.

 

A shooting star streaks across the sky brings her back to the present. She points up to the sky, like she did the first time she met Squall at the SeeD inauguration, and she smiles at him.

 

Squall smiles back to her and pull her in his arms. They share a long, romantic kiss under the moonlight.

 


	10. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

****

_A man with half-long brown hair. He wears a heavy armor. A sword is strapped at his side._

_A woman with short dark hair. Wearing armor over her dress. A sword strapped on her back._

_A woman with a pair of glasses on her nose. She wears a yellow dress. A staff is clenched in her hands._

_A woman with a pair of blue-purple eyes. She wears the colors of her former nation, ocean blue. She leans on her staff looking to the ocean._

_They wander around a world that is not theirs._

_Four immortals come across a mortal. A child. A girl with blond hair and brilliant blue eyes with a purple swirl._

_A Blue Mage._

_Suddenly the child screams. A sword has been plunged through her back and it comes out of her stomach. The child looks at the sword and tears fall from her beautiful eyes. A last plead for her mother._

* * *

 

 

“NO!”

 

Laguna heard the heart wrenching scream from his niece and runs to her room. He throws the door open and puts the light’s on.

 

Ellone is asleep, dreaming, but it appears the dream is not pleasant. Ellone is turning, twisting and moaning in her bed. Her sheets are tightly wrapped around her legs, her pillows have fallen on the ground.

 

Laguna places his hands on her shoulder to stop her squirming. He whispers softly to her, trying to calm her down, but it won’t work. Laguna looks worriedly at his niece. _What are you dreaming about?_ Ellone didn’t have a dream in the last ten years, not _once_ did she dream since she had given up her powers. Was it a coincident that it happens on their tenth anniversary? Ten years after they returned home? Laguna didn’t think so.

 

He places both his hands on her face and with his thumbs he strokes her hair out of her face. The sweat is pouring from her forehead, Laguna feels the heat radiating from her. “Please, wake up,” he whispers softly while kissing her forehead.

 

* * *

 

_The child’s mother comes running, she is wearing a peach skirt and top. But, she is too late. Her child is dead. Anger and sadness clouds her eyes. She grabs her whip and strikes._

_The attacker is too strong and too fast. Bleed is seeping from too many wounds. The sand has turned red. The mother crawls towards her child. Her hand is trying to reach the hand of her child. A finger touches her daughters still hand before her hand falls limp._

_The attacker had finished his job._

 

* * *

 

“Quistis!”

 

Her eyes flew open, light brown eyes look up into the blue sky. She is breathing heavily and she puts a hand on her chest trying to steady her breathing.

 

“That dream again?” Ming looks concerned at one of her oldest friends.

 

“Yes,” Sarah looks up to the sky, the stars shine brightly. But they are not the same stars she watched for the last ten years, but still they are very familiar. “Where are we?”

 

Ming points to a familiar looking lighthouse and orphanage, and Sarah knows exactly where she is.

 

Kaim and Seth are standing near the water, the full moon shines behind them.

 

They were back. All of them.

 

Back in the world they left years ago.

 

Back in the world they lived in for thousands of years.

 

Back in the world to which they weren’t suppose to return to.

 

And yet, they were back.

 

* * *

 

_A man comes running. His gunblade held tightly in his hands._

_He runs towards the attacker and the two get involve into a fight._

_Both men are wounded, but neither gives up._

_Both are fighting for something important._

_One for the love of his family._

_The other for the preservation of the world._

_The swords clash again._

_The immortals stand by and can only watch._

* * *

 

Ellone wakes up slowly, trying to remember what the dream is about she just had. The details are already getting vague but she can still remember that Quistis was in it, battling against someone and losing? With her eyes still closed she can barely move her limbs, they are too heavy to move. In the distance she hears Laguna and Kiros talking in hushed voices.

 

“They are back.”

 

“Who are?” Laguna asks Kiros.

 

“The Immortals.”

 

“That is impossible,” Laguna huffs.

 

Kiros places a hand on Laguna’s shoulder to calm him down “Cid called, they are back.”

 

Ellone opens her eyes and sits up, her sudden movement alerts Laguna and the two men sit on either side of her.

 

Laguna wanted to ask her, _‘How are you?’_ but Ellone holds her hand up and stops him.

 

“I am fine, but something bad will happen to Quistis. I know it.”

 

She sees Kiros wants to ask her, _‘How do you know?’_ he has always been the practical one.

 

“I saw it.” She looks both men in the eye, making them understand she means it. “I _dreamed_ about it.”


End file.
